


Before the Storm

by K_booklover98



Series: Harry Potter and the Slytherin King [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Bad Jokes, Blow Jobs, Conflict, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Dumbledore's Army, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, First Time Blow Jobs, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Hogwarts Inter-House Unity, Humor, M/M, Mind Games, Miscommunication, Nightmares, Oblivious Harry, Occlumency, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Quidditch, Sappy, Secrets, Smut, Swearing, Visions, code names
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-01-29 15:24:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 107,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12633870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/K_booklover98/pseuds/K_booklover98
Summary: Its Fifth Year, and all Harry wants is a normal school year. It’s all anybody wants at this point. But with Umbridge running around, and a dark lord on the rise, it can be hard to achieve. The Sorting Hat has told them that now, more than ever, they need to work together. Can Harry and Draco help jumpstart the process? Between Quidditch games and trying to take down Umbridge, how is Harry going to work in a love life and still make time for best friends Ron and Hermione?Or the one where Draco needs help, and as much as he hates to admit it, Harry needs him just as him as Draco does.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s the reason why I haven’t been posting to It’s Just a Muggle Thing!
> 
> Because I’m writing a series!! Yay!!
> 
> Here's that long chaptered fic I've been talking about! It is nowhere near done, but I'm still working hard on it in between school and work. I don't have an upload schedule for this, I may post everyday, I may post every two days, I have no clue. I hope you enjoy it though :) not beta'd, sorry, I should probably start doing that, so for now forgive all my mistakes.
> 
> Will also be adding more characters/tags/etc as they pop up in the story as I'm not even sure who/what is going to be thrown into the mix.
> 
> I should also mention that the Timeline is a bit wonky at first. Takes place between end of Sept/early Oct. Some main story events have already taken place i.e the DA, Harry’s quidditch ban, and his Occlumency lessons, so obviously, if you haven't read the book, or the series in general, then I have no idea how you ended up on this page :P
> 
> Also, thank you thesaurus.com, for giving me big looking words for Draco’s dialogue. :D

“That’s it for tonight!” Harry informed the semi large group in front of him. “Another great class! We’ll meet again sometime next week.”

The DA, otherwise known as Dumbledore’s Army, had just finished another meeting. They were improving a lot over the past couple of weeks, having moved on from basic blocking and disabling spells to defensive and stunning spells, and Harry was happy with the results he was seeing.

As he made his way down the hall, he waved goodbye to Ron and Hermione as he also had another Occlumency lesson to attend with Snape. He was _not_ looking forward to this, however, and would have much rather preferred teaching the DA. Nonetheless, he still had some time to spare as he idly strolled down the castle's hallways.

Until he was pulled down one of the rather dark ones by an unknown force. However, before he could draw out his wand and mutter one of many disabling spells, he was met face to face with solid grey eyes.

“Malfoy?! What the hell do you want? And why are you wandering around here so late at night?”

“I could be asking you the same question, Potter.” Malfoy scoffed. “Slytherin Prefect, _and_ a member of the Inquisitorial Squad. Remember?”

“Right, because I’m supposed to care.” Harry retorted.

Malfoy gave him his signature sneer. “I know what you and your little Gryffindor pack are up to, so I’d think it best if you didn’t go around insulting the wrong person, Potter.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “You are such a drama queen. Will you just tell me what it is you want already?”

The Slytherin huffed. “I want in on this little club of yours.”

Harry was dumbfounded. “Are you _kidding me_?! Why on _earth_ would I let _you_ join?”

“So, you admit you’ve got something going on?”

“I admit that you’re a right git.”

“Watch it Potter.”

“Fuck off Malfoy.”

Malfoy looked about ready to snap, but then, much to Harry’s surprise, took a deep breath, closing his eyes and pinching the brim of his nose. “Look, let’s just say that I’ve been having a bit of a difficult time lately, and I figured maybe you could help me.”

Harry scoffed. “Me? Help you? This coming from the guy who got me banned from playing Quidditch,”

Now Malfoy rolled his eyes. “You started it.”

“You were insulting one of my best friend’s mom, what did you expect me to do?”

Malfoy sighed again. “We aren’t getting anywhere.”

“No, we aren’t, and I need to be somewhere, so out of the way, Malfoy.”

“Not until you agree to help me.”

“And what will I get if I do?”

Malfoy narrowed his eyes as he looked the Gryffindor over. “What do you want?”

“You’re the Slytherin.”

“Hmm, well let’s see, shall we, Potter,” Malfoy crossed his arms, thinking over the possibilities. “You help me…and I’ll keep Umbridge off your back.”

“But that benefits you too,” Harry frowned. “That hardly seems like a fair trade.”

“Well, again Potter, I ask, what do _you_ want, then?”

Harry stood, thinking for a moment. “I want you to stop taking away house points without good reason. And same goes for detentions.”

Malfoy huffed, rolling his eyes. “Fine. But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop giving them out.”

“Then at least stop taking so many house points away. Five points is enough, fifty is a bit over dramatic, don’t you think?”

“Hey, whatever keeps you lot in line.”

Harry rolled his eyes, wanting to retort but reframing himself. “And you have to sign Hermione’s list with all the members on it.”

Malfoy scrunched up his face. “Why the hell would I do that?”

Harry gave his own little smirk at that. “Just as a precaution. Don’t worry, it’s not cursed or anything.

“Alright, whatever.” And the two shook on their new arrangement.

After they parted ways, Harry made a dash for it, making it just on time to Snape’s office.

“You’re late.” The potions professor drawled.

“What?! I’m right on time!”

“And to be on time is to be late, Mr. Potter.” He scolded. “To be early is to be on time, and to be late is unacceptable, which you _almost_ were. So, I suggest you shut your mouth, and for the next hour or so, follow my every instruction, _carefully_.”

Harry sighed, but uttered “yes, sir” before beginning their lesson.

\---

By the time their lesson ended, Harry was exhausted. He couldn’t wait to go back to his dorm room and crash. But one thing refused to leave his mind for the rest of the night. 

What was going on with Malfoy? And why was he so interested in joining the DA? _Let’s just say that I’ve been having a bit of a difficult time lately, and I figured maybe you could help me…_

What the hell did that mean? Was Malfoy in trouble? Was this his way of reaching out to someone? And if it was, why of all people was he coming to Harry about his problems? 

Harry hadn’t a clue, and it would be a few hours of pondering these questions before sleep finally washed over him.

\--

The next day things continued on as usual, and Malfoy paid him no attention. In fact, nothing out of the ordinary happened for the next couple of days. Malfoy was still a snarky little git, but besides that, things carried on as usual. Harry was dreading his Occlumency lessons more and more, and Umbridge was becoming downright unbearable, but other than that, his life was no more or less exciting.

Until the day of their next DA meeting. Earlier that day he had informed Malfoy while passing him in the hallway of the whereabouts of the meeting, and when to meet them. Harry then began to stress over whether or not he should tell Ron and Hermione that said Slytherin would be joining them, but figured they would figure it out for themselves.

Expect for he never showed up.

Harry, in all honesty, wasn’t surprised. He figured he only pretended to want to join so that he could turn them all in to Umbridge, and he cursed himself for being so stupid as to give Malfoy the time and place of their meeting tonight. It had been a difficult lesson, as Harry had been a bit on edge the whole time, until finally, it was once again time for them all to return to their respective houses.

“We’ll continue this again next week. Don’t forget to practice!” he called out to everyone.

“You okay?” Hermione asked him as the DA members began to file out of the room. “You seem a bit on edge.”

“I’m fine, Mione.” Harry said, finally beginning to relax. “Was just worried about today’s lesson, is all.”

Hermione gave him a questioning look, but thought better of it and decided to let it go. 

Just as the last person was leaving the room of requirement, Harry turned to head to his Occlumency lesson, when a familiar voice called out to him.

“And just where do you think you’re going, Potter?”

“Malfoy? Where the hell were you! I thought you went off to tell on us.”

“What? No, why would I do that? I told you Potter, I _need_ your help, were you _not_ paying attention? Not that that’s too hard to believe.”

Harry rolled his eyes, but was still no less confused. _Needs my help? With what?_ “Well, I can’t help you. Practice is over, next time get here on time.”

Malfoy scoffed. “As if I’m going to be seen out in public with you.”

Harry sighed. “Well, you’re going to have to deal with it. I have plans after practice.”

“Which are?”

“They don’t concern you.”

“Oh wait!” Malfoy said, realization dawning on him. “You have remedial potions every night with Snape!” he snickered.

Harry groaned, forgetting that Malfoy had indeed walked in on one of their lessons. “ _Yes_ , Malfoy, if you must know.”

Malfoy continued to laugh. “Well then, guess I wouldn’t want to interrupt _that_ for you.”

Harry closed his eyes, pinching his nose. “So, what do you want to do then?”

Malfoy thought for a moment. “You don’t play quidditch anymore—”

“Thanks for the reminder.”

“So, while the other Gryffindors are at practice, _you_ can teach me.”

Harry sighed, but decided against making a rude comment. “I suppose I have nothing better to do.”

“What could possibly be more important than me?”

“You’d be surprised.”

\---

Their first meeting was that following Wednesday. At around six, Harry made his way up to the room of requirement, watching the Marauders map, making sure Malfoy was _actually_ going to show up this time. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Malfoy’s dot appeared on the map, and he was rounding the corner within a couple of minutes.

Harry quickly stuffed his map away, before greeting the fellow Slytherin. “Nice of you to show up this time, Malfoy.”

“Ha ha, you’re such the comedian, Potter. Are we going to go inside or what?”

Harry was going to retort, but once again thought better of it, and instead started pacing along the length of the corridor. _I need a place to practice DA_ he thought over three times in his head, before finally, a door appeared. They walked in, and they found a room that looked similar to that of the DA practice room. The only difference was that the room was a bit smaller, and there were more advanced books and targets laying around the room, to better match the two occupants.

“Well, I guess we should start with what you already know?” he said, more of a question than a statement.

Malfoy huffed. “You’re the teacher. Teach me something.”

“Well, I—wait, you’re actually going to _cooperate_ with me?”

Malfoy sighed. “Look, I don’t really want to get into it. I came here to learn something, so could we please just get to the learning part?”

So, they went over basic spells, before quickly realizing that they were both more experienced than that of the other DA members. They quickly moved into more advanced spells, fitted for more their year, covering some of the things that should have been in their curriculum, but wasn’t because of the Pink Toad. Malfoy was turning out to be a fast learner, and Harry was glad they didn’t have to spend too much time on any one thing.

All in all, the lesson ended on good terms. They didn’t really argue, and Harry was glad to be partnered up with someone who matched his skill set. Hermione was great, but she was better at the practical rather than the execution. And Ron was okay at some spells. But Malfoy really knew what he was doing, and Harry was happy to have potentially found a partner to try new things with.

“Same time next week?” Malfoy asked as they went their separate ways.  
Harry nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

———

“Where have you been?” Hermione asked as soon as Harry entered through the portrait hole.

“Oh, you know… around,” Harry wanted to mentally slap himself.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

Ron, who was sitting next to Hermione, his map of the stars sprawled out in front of him, said “Yeah, mate! My Divination homework isn’t going to finish itself!”

“Which is why _you_ better get on with it!” Hermione scolded.

Harry wanted to laugh at his two best friends, but from the look Hermione was now giving him, he decided better of it. “Relax, Mione, I was just roaming around the halls. Considering I don’t have quidditch practice anymore, I figured I’d just walk around, get some fresh air.”

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Ron beat her to it. “Aw man, has it been _brutal!_ Angelica is ruthless!”

“Damn right!” they heard a shout from up above them.

Harry did laugh, then. “Yeah, well I’ll take ruthless over insufferable. I swear if I have to go to one more Occlumency lesson with Snape, I’m going to lose it.”

Hermione looked skeptical, Ron apologetic. “Are they not working then?”

Harry sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t feel like they are. I’m just always so tired, and no matter what I do, he manages to somehow get into my head every time!”

“Well, maybe you should stop going?” Ron suggested.

“No! Are you mad, Harry you can’t!” Hermione protested.

“I didn’t say I—“

“You want the visions from _You-Know-Who_ to stop, right?”

“Well, yeah, but, I haven’t even gotten—“

“Then you _need_ to keep practicing! Don’t you see? This is _really_ important, Harry!”

“Okay, okay! Calm down, I didn’t say I wasn’t going anymore! And, I haven’t had any visions either.”

“You’re still having nightmares though.” Ron muttered under his breath.

“Hey, I thought you were on _my_ side.”

“We _are_ on your side.” Hermione said, standing to put a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “It’s why we’re so concerned. We just want to make sure our friend is okay.” she said with a smile.

Harry smiled too, pulling her into a hug. “Thanks for looking out for me. But, really, I’m okay guys.”

“Well, _I’m_ not!” Ron scolded the two, causing them to separate. “This Divination stuff is bloody ridiculous.”

Harry and Hermione shared a look before both laughing, causing Ron to turn red. “Well, you two better get to it. I’m off to bed.” Hermione said, first kissing Harry’s cheek, then  
Ron’s, before heading up to her dormitory.

Ron rolled his eyes. “Some help she is.”

Harry snorted, taking out his own star chart. “She hates this class, remember?”

“Yeah, well so do I.”

“Yes, but she doesn’t _take_ this class anymore. Sorry mate, we’re on our own here.”

Ron sighed. This was going to be another long night.

———

The next morning went by fairly quickly. Harry still wasn’t sure whether or not he should tell Ron and Hermione about Malfoy. What was there to tell anyways? It wasn’t like they were plotting anything. He was just giving Malfoy some extra help in DADA training. 

What was so wrong about that?

Yet, he couldn’t help but to feel as if he was hiding a secret. Okay, so he _is_ hiding a secret, but what was the harm in telling his two best friends? Hermione was bound to find out anyways, and sure, Ron may be a little bit upset about it at first, but he’d get over it eventually.

And was Malfoy really _that_ bad?

The answer was probably yes, but Harry wasn’t so sure anymore. Granted, they’d only had one meeting together, so he didn’t have much proof to go off of. But, maybe with time things could change. In all honesty, he wouldn’t be too opposed to having a friendship of sorts with Malfoy. Would that be so bad?

_You are officially losing your mind, Harry._

He’d have to lock that thought away, Merlin forbid Snape ever found it during one of their Occlumency lessons.

———

“I need to tell you guys something,”

Harry figured it was best to just tell them now, up front, rather than them somehow finding out by some other means. It had been bothering Harry all day, so he figured he might as well just rip off the bandage.

The three friends sat outside under their designated tree, out in the courtyard. It was lunchtime, but they had decided to go outside and eat instead. Since no one else was around, this was their go-to spot on nice days like this.

“Malfoy approached me about a week ago and asked to join the DA.”

Hermione’s eyes grew wide, and Ron started choking on his pumpkin juice. “Is he _mad?_ ” Ron asked.

“You can’t be serious.” Hermione said, shaking her head.

Harry nodded. “Says he needs help with something. Actually, to be more specific, he said; _I’ve been having a bit of a difficult time lately, and I figured maybe you could help me._ I have no idea what he means by that.”

Hermione looked thoughtful. Ron looked green. “This can’t be good.” he said.

“Actually…” Harry began to trail off.

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re going to let him join!” Ron said, this time knocking over his pumpkin juice.

“Well…not exactly?”

“Spit it out, Harry.” Hermione said with a sigh.

“I’m sort of…teaching him myself. _By_ myself.”

 _“What?”_ both Ron and Hermione shouted, looking just as equally shocked.

“The other day, you wanted to know where I was? Well, I wasn’t just roaming around the halls,” Hermione rolled her eyes at this. “I was actually just coming back from our first one on one lesson together.”

Both Ron and Hermione looked a bit like they had just been hit in the face with a bludger. Ron looked slightly more terrified, however.

“Why the bloody hell are you _helping_ him?” Ron finally said.

Harry shrugged. “I don’t know to be honest. He just…I don’t know.”

“But this could be a trap!”

“ _Or_ , he may actually be in trouble.” Hermione finally spoke up, drawing their attention. “I mean, think about it. _You-Know-Who_ is back, we all know it’s true. And, thanks to Harry, we know that his father is indeed a death eater. What if he’s trying to force Malfoy down the same path? We all know the Malfoy’s are a big deal, with their blood status, among other things. What if he really _is_ trying to reach out to someone?”

“Yeah, but why Harry?”

“Oh, honestly, Ron!”

“But they hate each other! Not to mention, he’s the reason Harry can’t play quidditch anymore.”

Hermione scoffed at that. “Look at the bigger picture here. Harry has a big influence around here, whether he realizes it or not.” she said pointedly to the look Harry was giving her. “Yes, they don’t necessarily get along, but maybe Malfoy has nowhere else to turn? Besides, he’s a Slytherin, most of them are probably of the same status as him, and even may be close family friends. There’s no way he could talk to any of them about it. And if he can’t go to any of the teachers, then who else than Harry is there? He certainly isn’t going to come to either of us with his problems.”

Ron huffed, crossing his arms. “This is unbelievable. And even if all of that _is_ true, I still don’t understand why Harry would agree to it.”

Hermione shrugged. “Hero complex, I suppose.”

“Hey!”

“What? It’s not a bad thing!”

“It is if it means we have to associate with Malfoy.” Ron said.

“Look, he doesn’t even want to go to the regular DA meetings, hints the one on one lessons. Besides, he’s agreed not to tell Umbridge anything. As a matter of fact, he seemed pretty eager to learn something new, _and_ , he agreed to sign Hermione’s sign up list. I don’t know what kind of trouble he’s in, but if it’s concern enough to want to come to me about it, then I think that I should help him out. I may not _like_ him, but I wouldn’t want anything _bad_ to happen to him either.”

“You mean you actually _care_ about that ferret?” Ron asked, appalled.

“I mean I care if he’s somehow being brainwashed by his father to follow a mad man who’s trying to hunt down and kill innocent people.” Harry shot back.

That shut Ron up, but he still wore a scowl on his face.

“See, Ron?” Hermione said. “Look, I’m not saying this is a good idea. All I’m saying is that if anyone can help him, it’s Harry. Maybe he’ll open up to him, tell him what’s going on. In fact, it could help us in the long run.”

“You mean get him on our side?” Both Harry and Ron asked, skeptically.

“Yes, exactly. Whatever is going on, he clearly doesn’t want to be a part of it. We just need to push him into the right direction.”

“Am I the only one who sees a problem with all of this?” Ron asked, solemnly.

“It’s not like you’re the one who has to hang out with him.” Harry muttered.

Hermione patted his back. “What could be so bad about this?”

“He turns out to be a spy, and exposes us not only to Umbridge, but to Snape and the rest of the death eaters, including his father and _You-Know-Who_.”

Hermione blinked a few times. “Okay… _yes_ , that is a possibility. But, try to look on the bright side. Maybe you two will finally become friends.”

“Doubt it.” Ron muttered.

“At least give it a try? It be nice to go a day without the two of you bickering back and forth.”

Harry had to admit, while it was hard to imagine him and Malfoy as friends, the thought of them no longer having hexing matches in the hallway did sound quite nice. “Alright, Mione, I’ll try.”

She smiled, turning to face Ron. “Told you. Hero’s complex.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay turned for more :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry is still a bit skeptical about Malfoy. Can he really be trusted?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, chapter number 2!

Harry was nervous. Why, he wasn’t sure. He was waiting for Malfoy to show up for their second DA meeting together. He had already paced back and forth and was now leaning against the doorway that would lead them into the Room of Requirement. He had his map out, and was silently waiting as he watched Malfoy’s footsteps slowly but surely make their way over to his current location. When he realized Malfoy was around the corner, he put away the map, and stood up from against the door to greet Malfoy. 

When he arrived around the corner, Malfoy nodded to Harry in acknowledgment, and Harry did the same, before they both turned to walk into the room.

Only it wasn’t what either boy had been expecting.

“What is this, Potter?” Malfoy asked, looking not at all pleased.

Harry shrugged as led the way into the room. “Don’t know. The room provides you with what you need,” he said, finding a nice comfy chair, and plopping down in it. “Not necessarily what you want.”

Malfoy muttered something under his breath, but nonetheless, took a seat from across Harry. The room had not produced the usual room it does for the DA, but more so a sitting room. There was a fireplace, a couch, and two plush arm chairs facing each other in which the two boys sat in. There was a coffee table in the middle where they sat their school bags down, and a bookshelf off to the side. It was quite cozy and very welcoming.

“I think I know why the room looks this way.” Harry started after a long period of awkward silence.

“Well, spit it out then, Potter.”

“Why are we here?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be telling _me_ that?”

“No—I mean, why are you here. As in, why are we doing this?”

“What? Learning about the Defensive Arts? Surely you can answer your own question Potter,”

“No, I mean–ugh, you’re so insufferable!”

“Ooh, Potter knows a big word,”

“Can you try and not be a prat for just five minutes?” Malfoy was silent, and it took Harry a moment to realize that he was actually giving him his full attention. Harry sighed. “What I mean is, why are you here with me? _Why_ me? Out of everyone else?”

“What, you think I should have went to the mud—“

“Don’t you _dare_ finish that sentence, Malfoy.”

“—To _Granger_ , or worse yet, the Weasel?” Malfoy scoffed.

“Okay,” Harry said, not liking Ron’s nickname either, but letting it slide for now. “So, why not Snape or another Slytherin. Why me?”

“Believe it or not, Potter, but you were kind of the only choice I had.”

“But, _why_.”

Malfoy rolled his eyes. “Because, it’s you. Snape would want something in return from me, and any other Slytherin would just have some kind of snide remark and not care. And it’s not like I can go to any of the other houses. And, I don’t know if you’ve noticed Potter, but I don’t have many friends.”

“Blaise and Pansy? Crabbe and Goyle? That Theo kid?”

“Blaise and Pansy are great and all, but you can only take so much of them. I mean do you like hanging out with Granger and Weasel—“

“Weasley—“

“All the time? And Crabbe and Goyle…it’s a long story.”

Harry was thoughtful for a moment, but Malfoy was still beating around the bush. “But aren’t you working for Umbridge? Why not go to her?”

Malfoy actually snorted. “I don’t actually _like_ her. Merlin, how obtuse are you?”

Harry glared. “I’m no Ravenclaw, but you sure do have everybody else fooled. How do I know you’re not a spy? Trying to get information out of me so you can go and run and tell on us?”

“And how do _I_ know you’re not doing the exact same thing, so that you can go run and tell your good ole friend Dumbledore?”

Harry sighed. “Once again we are at a standstill.”

“So it seems.”

More silence ensued for the next couple of minutes, neither of them making eye contact with one another. Malfoy quietly studied his fingernails, and Harry stared blankly into the lit fireplace, neither daring to say a word.

Until, “For the record, I wouldn’t do that.”

Malfoy looked up, confused. “Do what?”

“Run and tell Dumbledore. I don’t know what you think, but…” Harry trailed off, never taking his eyes off of the burning flames.

“But what…?”

Harry sighed, finally turning his head to make eye contact with Malfoy. “You spill, I spill.”

Malfoy nodded. “What do you want to know?”

Harry opened his mouth, but then closed it. There were a lot of things he wanted to ask  
Malfoy. _Why did you come to me for help? Are you actually in trouble? Can you really be trusted? Why do you hate me so much?_

The latter could be ignored for now. And he figured the first question would probably be answered by the second. And depending on whether or not he answered the second question truthfully would answer his next question.

_But how would he be able to tell if he was telling the truth or not?_

Maybe the room read his mind, or he had simply stated that last thought out loud, but in the center of the coffee table, two clear vials appeared. Malfoy must have been thinking along the same lines.

Silently, the two stared at one another, before Harry thought, _fuck it, are you a Gryffindor or not?_ , got up, grabbed a vial, and downed its contents.

Malfoy stared wide eyed, but he too, eventually got up, grabbed his vial and drank down the contents.

“I’m guessing that was Veritaserum that we just drank.”

Malfoy nodded. “Maybe remedial potions is finally paying off. So, go ahead then. You give me answers, I’ll give you answers.”

Harry nodded, opening his mouth to speak, but then closing it again. Finally, he asked, “Who was my favorite DADA teacher?” he had to test to make sure Malfoy wasn’t lying, right?

Malfoy rolled his eyes, but answered anyways. “Professor Lupin, now will you give me a real question?”

“Don’t you want to test me?”

“Alright, when’s my birthday?”

Harry blushed, but immediately answered, “June 5th.”

Malfoy looked impressed. “Didn’t know you knew the answer to that.”

“I know a lot of things about you.” Harry replied, his blush deepened.

Malfoy wore a smirk, a gleam in his eyes. “Oh, like?”

Harry couldn’t stop the word vomit from escaping. “Your favorite subject is Potions, you hate sunflowers, your favorite color is green, and you drink your tea with three creams and five sugars.”

Malfoy looked taken aback. “Wow.”

“Okay, my turn!” Harry said quickly, changing subjects. “What kind of trouble are you in?”

Malfoy looked genuinely confused. “What are you talking about?”

“That day you cornered me, you said lately you’ve been having a difficult time, and you figured I could help you. What did you mean by that?”

Malfoy looked uncomfortable for a second, and then, “My Father. He’s…well _involved_ in some things.”

“What kind of things?”

“You know what kind of things.”

“You aren’t supposed to lie.”

“Am I?”

Malfoy was right. Harry knew exactly what kind of things his father was into. Veritaserum apparently isn’t too picky on how exactly the truth is worded. “So, what about your dad then? What does it have to do with this?”

Malfoy sighed. “He’s been forcing me down this path, one that I’ve been heading down since before we even started Hogwarts. We both know that the Dark Lord is back. My family…their planning. And I need to start planning too.”

Harry frowned. “To fight?”

Malfoy nodded.

“Fight who?”

Malfoy stared at him. “You know who.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “No I—“  
“No, I _literally_ mean _You-Know-Who_ , god Potter, you’re so inane.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “But why? Shouldn’t you be preparing to fight me?”

Malfoy snorted. “Fight you? I’m on your side, it’s _them_ I need to worry about.”

“Why are you on my side?”

“Because, whether you realize it or not, I actually care whether or not my fellow students live to come back to this god forsaken school for another year.”

Harry leaned back, thinking all of this information over.

“If you’re done interrogating me, I figure it’s your turn now.” Malfoy said. “What’s up with you and Dumbledore?”

“It’s complicated.” It wasn’t a lie.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. “Don’t get cocky. Why aren’t you two getting along?”

Harry laughed, darkly. “I don’t know that we ever have, to be honest.”

Malfoy frowned. “Explain?”

Harry snorted, once again unable to stop the words flowing from his lips. “First off, he leaves me with my muggle relatives who don’t care about my existence, let alone my well-being. Then, I come to school, and he’s _still_ keeping secrets from me. You know he’s been avoiding me this whole school year? I do everything he asks me to, I don’t ask questions or tell him how incredibly stupid and dangerous the tasks are. I do as I’m told, and I get nothing in return. There’s a Dark Lord out there trying to kill me, and you know what he says to me? * _It is important to fight and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay though never quite eradicated_ , as if _that_ makes it any better! Dumbledore isn’t my friend. I’d barely call him a professor.”

Malfoy looked stunned. Harry just looked angry.

“Why is he ignoring you?”

“Hell, if I know.” Silence enveloped them for an extended period, and then, “Are you a spy?”

“No, Potter, I am not a spy. You?”

“Nope.”

The Slytherin nodded. Harry once again looked thoughtful. “So, why me?”

Malfoy sighed. “Because, Potter, for some strange reason, I actually trust you.”

“Don’t you hate me?”

“I’ve never hated you.”

Harry’s eyes went wide. Well that was new. “But we fight all the time!”

“’I hate you’ and ‘I can’t stand you’ are two completely different things, Potter.”

“Oh…I don’t hate you either.”

“Really?” now Malfoy looked surprised.

“Truth serum, remember?”

Malfoy nodded.

“If you don’t hate me, then why all the fighting?”

Malfoy shrugged. “To keep up appearances?”

“It’s getting tiring, Malfoy.”

“I know.”

“So, what do you suggest?”  
Malfoy clenched his mouth shut, obviously trying to fight against what he wanted to say. He almost looked like he was in pain, until he finally just let it out. “We could… _try_ …being friends…I guess.” He muttered the last part.

Harry laughed. “We don’t have to go _that_ far. But, no more hexing matches in the hallways, yeah?”

Malfoy nodded. “Okay.”

“And no more mean names. ‘Saint Potter’ and ‘Scarehead’ included.”

“Will you stop calling me ‘ferret’?”

Harry smirked. “I’ll think about it.”

Malfoy groaned. “Alright, I guess I can except that.”

“Brilliant.” Harry said, standing up and walking over towards Malfoy. “Come on, let’s see if we can get the room to change back to normal so we can practice some DA. I’ve got a couple new jinxes I want to try out.” He said sticking out his hand to help Malfoy up.

Malfoy stared down at that hand. Four years ago, they were in a situation similar to this. Malfoy had extended his hand and Harry had rejected him. This situation was nowhere near the same, but it somehow felt important. Like he was being tested. Draco looked up to meet Harry’s eyes. He looked…calm, peaceful almost. He had asked his questions, and he now knew that Malfoy could be trusted. This was more than just trying to help Malfoy out of his chair. It was Harry trying to actually _help_ him. If he took the offered hand, there was no going back.

He reached out and gripped Potter’s hand tight.

“I still need to sign that paper you were talking about. Er, Granger’s sign up sheet?”

Harry smiled. “Come on, we’ll do that after the room is back to normal.”

Draco took a deep breath and then nodded. Harry let go of his hand as they made their way back across the room. Draco was surprised to find he missed the weight Harry’s hand had held in his. More importantly though, he missed the warmth.

He wondered if he’d ever get it back.

\---

“So, what did you find out?” Ron asked.

The trio currently sat in the empty Gryffindor common room, their homework done for the night. Hermione sat cuddled up by the fire, a sleeping Crookshanks sat in her lap. Harry and Ron were locked in an intense battle of Wizards’ Chest.

Harry shrugged, moving his knight. “Not much. I mean pretty much what Hermione had suspected, I guess.”

“So, he’s a death eater?”

“Ron!” Hermione scolded.

“Sorry, he’s _becoming_ a death eater.”

“Ronald Weasley, that is not what I said!” Hermione defended, tossing a throw pillow at him.

Harry suppressed a laugh. “No, Ron, he isn’t a death eater, nor is he planning on being one.”

“So, what’s up with him then?”

Another shrug. “He’s just…him. Not much to tell.”

Ron rolled his eyes, moving his queen across the board. “I still don’t trust him.”

Hermione was looking intently at Harry, sending Ron a sharp look here and there. Harry, however, felt conflicted. For some reason, what happened in the Room of Requirement earlier somehow felt…confidential. Like, he wasn’t supposed to share what had happened in the room. And, in all honesty, he didn’t want to. It was between him and Malfoy, and he wanted to hold on to it. For the first time, they weren’t fighting. They were trying something new. Sure, it was a work in progress, but they were finally starting to trust one another. He didn’t want to mess it up this early on. Besides, he told Ron and Hermione everything, and they weren’t missing out on much.

“Trust me, then.” Harry said, moving his king out of check. “I’ve never lied to you before. Why would I start now?”

Ron made a humming noise, more so towards the game than about trusting Harry. “I know, it’s just Malfoy can be sneaky. I don’t want you getting your hopes up,”

“Hopes up? About what?”

Ron only shrugged, putting Harry back into check. Harry turned towards Hermione for guidance.

“He’s got you, Harry. I’d call it quits.”

He rolled his eyes. “Not that. What am I hoping for?”

Hermione sighed. “Whenever you put your mind to something, you tend to get…very attached.” She tried to explain. “You get this…feeling, and then it’s like you can’t let go of it. Clearly, Malfoy is your new…quest, and we just want you to be careful. You know, in case it doesn’t end up working the way you want it to.”

Ron nodded, taking Harry’s bishop. “Exactly. We’re just looking out for you, mate.”

Harry sighed, not really paying attention to their game anymore. Was Malfoy his new objective? And if so, what was he trying to get out of it? He wanted to help Malfoy, sure, but there wasn’t much to it other than that. Sure, a friendship would be nice, but he’d be fine with what they had now.

But what _did_ they have?

Were they friends? Well…no, not really. But they had agreed that they were no longer enemies, right?

Harry was left even more confused than he was before.

“Checkmate.” Ron said, watching his queen destroy Harry’s king.

Harry sighed. Hermione looked apathetic. “Told you. He wins every time.”  
But Harry didn’t care about that. All he could think about was a confusing blond Slytherin.

\---

“This isn’t working.” Snape drawled.

He had once again, been able to enter into Harry’s mind with ease. It wasn’t like Harry wasn’t trying, because dammit, he wanted to learn this and be done with it. But it seemed no matter how hard he tried, it made the task just that much easier for Snape. This time, he had managed to get a glimpse of a memory of Harry last year as he made a horrible attempt at trying and failing to flirt with Cho Chang.

Harry, who had fallen, hands and knees on the ground, was shivering violently, as he tried to push himself up. “Obviously not. How can you expect me to learn this, if you—“

“Hush, get back up, and we will try this again.”

Occlumency was absolute torture to Harry. What was only a few hours felt like a couple eternities. He couldn’t help but to find himself wishing he was anywhere else doing anything other than this. It was times like these when he wondered why Dumbledore didn’t just teach him instead. He must know that these lessons weren’t going anywhere. Sure, this had to be admittedly better than trying to do this with Umbridge, but Harry still felt miserable. He wasn’t one to pray, but he hoped to anyone who would listen that they would save him from this hell hole.

And then like a ray of sunshine, McGonagall came to the rescue.

“Severus, your presence is needed in the staff lounge.”

“Can this not wait, Minerva?”

“Alas, it cannot. I can assure you though, that mister Potter will return safely back to his tower.” she said, eyeing him carefully.

Harry nodded enthusiastically, before toning it down a bit, since Snape was right there. “Yes, Professor, right away.”

“Good. Come along, Severus.”

Snape threw Harry one last look, and then he was gone.

Harry sighed with relief, quickly scrambling to gather his things, and then making a dash out the door before Snape changed his mind.

\---

“You need to talk to Dumbledore.” Hermione persisted.

“I keep telling you, I can’t! He won’t talk to me.”

“But you have to try!”

“I have! He’s either not in his office, or he’s in a meeting. Besides, he keeps changing his password, I’ve tried just about every candy there is, wizard and muggle!”

“You could ask McGonagall,” Ron offered from across the table. They were currently eating breakfast.

Harry laughed. “Have you met her? She’d ask too many questions.”

Hermione continued to frown. “Well, you’re going to have to figure something out. I’d help you, but I don’t know anything on about Occlumency.”

“It’s not just something you can study for, Hermione.”

“But there has to be something you can do.”

Harry was at a loss. Hermione didn’t understand and Ron could care less. They were both so…black and white on the whole thing; either do this or do that. They just didn’t get it. He wasn’t sure if they ever would, to be honest.

At times like these, he wished he had someone else to talk to. Sure, there was Neville, he was always willing to listen. Dean and Seamus were good friends. Even Ginny was a good person to turn to whenever he felt lost or unsure of something. But this was different. He’s not asking for help on his homework or for advice on how to ask someone out. This was completely different, and he didn’t trust anyone other than Ron and Hermione. And when he couldn’t talk to them, who else was there to turn to? He couldn’t go to a professor, owling Sirius was an option, but it wasn’t like he was going to get an immediate response.

Harry was completely and utterly stuck.

\---

*Taken from HP and the HBP

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like the next chapter, but you'll just have to wait and see! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Draco work on being friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters :)

When Harry rounded the corner to the Room of Requirement, he was met by bright grey eyes. “Potter,” Malfoy greeted with a smile. He had his back leaned against the door leading into the room. His posture was a bit more laid back than usual, and he didn’t seem so tense. His smile was genuine, but still sharp in that sort of Malfoy demeanor.

Harry was taken aback. “Er, hi Malfoy. You’re in a strangely good mood.”

Malfoy’s smile upturned into a smirk. “As I always am. Come on, I have somethings to discuss with you.” he said, turning and walking into the room.

Harry followed and was surprised by what he saw. Not the sitting room from before, and definitely not the DA room. It looked more like their own personal library. There was still a fireplace adjourned with the couch and plush arm chairs. However, instead of it taking up most of the room, it was set off to the side. And instead of being one book case, there were several, lined up in rows much like a library. There was a desk laid out, big enough for a group of people to study at, with quills and ink bottles already laid out.

Harry felt a bit overwhelmed, if not just a tad bit nervous.

“I figured we could just talk, maybe do some homework, before starting off with our lesson?” Malfoy said, setting his bags down in an empty chair and taking the seat next to it. “I can’t imagine you have the time to do homework in between classes, and I’m finding I rather miss sleeping.”

Was Malfoy joking with him? Harry felt light headed as he took a seat across from the Slytherin, setting his own bags down in the empty seat next to his own. “Yeah, sleep. I remember those days.” he said, but it came out kind of awkward.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. “Relax, Potter. I don’t bite.”

Harry only nodded taking out his school supplies. “What’s with the library?”

Malfoy shrugged. “I’m not really sure. You are the one who said the room provides you with what you need, not necessarily with what you want.”

Harry nodded. “Can’t argue with that. What did you want to talk about?”

Malfoy shook his head. “First, homework, we can talk later.”

So, for the next hour or so, they sat in a comfortable silence, occasionally helping out one another with their assignments. Which actually meant Harry would spend five minutes trying not to look at Malfoy, before the Slytherin would sigh and help Harry with whatever question he had.

It worked out pretty well, and when they finished with their work, they packed up their bags and waited for the room to change. Once it was back to their regular DA room, they got back to work.

“What do you want to work on today?”

Malfoy pursed his lips. “Can we try nonverbals?”

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. “That’s not until next year, and I’m pretty terrible at the ones I’ve tried.”

“Well, what do you suggest then?”

“Well, hexes and jinxes are pretty much our specialty.” Harry joked, causing them both to laugh. _Malfoy has a nice laugh_. “We’ve got shielding, disarming, and stunning spells down pretty well too. Let’s work on _Diminuendo_ and _Reducto_. After that we can try _Petrificus Totalus_ , and after you get that down, you’ll be ready to try a Patronus charm.”

“Sounds exciting.” Malfoy drawled.

“Yes, shrinking and breaking objects is just _so_ thrilling.” Harry imitated him, causing Malfoy to laugh even more. _What is happening to me?_ Malfoy’s laugh was doing things to Harry’s insides that he did not appreciate. It felt like a thousand butterflies had been released at once inside of his stomach.

“What do you think my Patronus will be?” Malfoy asked, as they took their positions next to one another on either side of the room.

Harry shrugged. “Dunno. Usually they say something about your character though. Maybe you’ll get a snake.”

Malfoy rolled his eyes. “Ha ha. With that sort of logic, shouldn’t yours be a lion?”

“It could always change.”

“Really?”

Harry seemed to think about it for a moment. “I don’t see why not. I’ve seen Tonks’ change.”

“Tonks?” Malfoy asked, looking confused. “You know my cousin?”

Harry blinked. “I forgot you two are related. Yeah, she hangs out with Lupin and my godfather Sirius.”

Malfoy made a humming noise, seeming to file that piece of information away for later. “Well, they are related. Anyways, what are we doing?”

“We need some targets.” Harry said, right as a set of targets popped up in front of them. “Now, all we have to do is aim at them and say the incantation. Like this; _Reducto!_ ” a blue light shot out from Harry’s wand and exploded the target in front of them.

“Impressive.” Malfoy said, stepping up to try it himself. The spell worked, of course, just not as powerful as Harry’s had been, so they practiced on their own for a while, before moving on to the next spell.

_“Diminuendo!”_ and a white light shot out of Malfoy’s wand, shrinking the target that was in front of him.

“That was great, Draco!” Harry praised. “Took me a bit to get this one down. Try it again, with a little more force. See if you can get the target to shrink down some more.”

Malfoy did, with a smile on his face. He was happy for the compliment, but even more so that Harry had called him by his first name. He didn’t know why, but the sound of his name coming from the Gryffindor sent off sparks inside of him. He wanted to hear him say it again; again and again and again, until the only thing Harry could remember was his name.

They practiced for a bit longer, until they realized they were running past their allotted practice time. Harry looked at his watch, as he tried to cover up a yawn. “We’ve been at it longer than I thought. We should get back to our houses before Umbridge comes looking for us.”

Malfoy snorted. “Is the Chosen One afraid of a little old lady in pink?”

Harry bursted out into laughter. “Merlin, no! I mean…yeah, maybe a little bit. Is that bad?”

Now Malfoy was laughing. “I’m honestly terrified of her. I mean, anyone with that bad of a fashion sense must be out of their mind,”

“Oh, have you seen her army of cats yet?”

“Don’t even get me started, Potter. You know she named one of them Fluff Monster?”

“It’s got to be better than Sweetie Muffins,”

“You ever feel like one of them is just McGonagall waiting to mess with her?”

“Oh my god, I told Hermione that! She wouldn’t believe me!”

“Neither did Pansy, but I swear Umbridge has a new cat scratch every day.”

“Ron swears he saw McGonagall leaving Umbridge’s office with a smirk and a cup of tea when she wasn’t around.”

The two ended up having to hold each other up, they were laughing so hard. “I want to make a cat joke so bad!” Harry said, wiping away a tear.

“Oh, Merlin, please don’t!” Malfoy insisted.

“Alright, I’ll stop kitten around!”

Malfoy was ashamed at how loudly he laughed at that.

Once the two were back under control, they stared into each other's eyes, trying not to start up again. “I swear, Potter, one more cat pun, and I’m going–“

“Harry…”

“–to–What?”

“Harry. You can call me Harry.”

“Oh, I–oh. Okay.”

Harry smiled at him. “And no more cat jokes, puns, or otherwise. I promise.”

Malfoy nodded. “Good.”

Harry took another look at his watch. “Come on, we really gotta go.” And without thinking, he grabbed Malfoy’s hand as they proceeded out the doorway. Much to his disappointment, however, Harry let go of his hand as soon as they were back out into the hallway. “Will you be okay walking back from here?”

“Yes, Pot–Harry, I’ll be okay. Slytherin here, remember?”

“Oh yes, I sure hope the big bad Slytherin will stay out of trouble.” They both laughed, as they slowly started to part ways.

“So, same time same place?” Harry asked, walking backwards.

“I think we can make this official, yes.” Malfoy said, also walking backwards.

“Cool. I’ll see you again next week then.”

“Does that mean you’re skipping potions class tomorrow?”

Harry laughed. “You’ve got a point. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Malfoy smiled. “Can’t wait.”

Harry’s stomach did about a million flips. “See you then.”

“Night Harry.”

_God, what is he doing to me?_ “Night, Malfoy.”

At this point, both boys backs had hit a wall, as Malfoy needed to turn right, and Harry left to go to their respective towers. Malfoy bit his lip. “What? I can call you Harry, but you still have to call me Malfoy?”

Harry blushed. “What do you want me to call you?”

_Anything you want._ “Draco works.”

Harry nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow…Draco.” And then he turned left, and was out of sight.

Draco closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. _No turning back now._

\---

The over the next few days, during meals, when Draco and Harry locked eyes like they usually did, there was no glaring or making ugly faces at one another. Draco didn’t flick Harry off, and Harry didn’t roll his eyes at the Slytherin and turn the other way. Instead, Draco gave him a tiny hint of a smile, and in return, Harry actually sent him a little wave, before both boys would turn away, slight blushes apparent on their cheeks.

In the halls, instead of glaring, bumping shoulders, or flat out fighting with one another, they smiled and nodded their heads at one another in acknowledgement. When waiting outside for a class they shared, they would exchange a few words. Instead of sneering “Malfoy” and “Potter”, Harry would muster a “Hey Draco” and Draco would reply “Fancy seeing you again, Harry”.

It was like a new game to them. Instead of who could be the meanest, it was who could be the nicest. Now whenever Harry would mess up in potions, instead of laughing, Draco would pass him helpful notes on how to fix his discolored potion. When Ron would openly talk bad about Malfoy, seeing as they sit in front of him in History of Magic, Harry would scold him and remind him that he isn’t being any better by being mean back to him.

“But he calls me Weasel!”

“And does calling him a ferret make you feel any better?”

“Well, no, but–“

“Then stop it, and help me fill out my divination chart.”

“But, we’re in history…”

It left a warm, glowing feeling inside of Draco. Almost like Harry was protecting him in a sense. He tried not to read too far into it, but sometimes it was hard. Harry was actually trying, and it was almost sweet.

And Draco was trying too.

“I took some extra notes in potions today.” Draco said, sitting down across from Harry in the Room of Requirement. “I saw you were having a bit of trouble, and since Weasel– _ley_ isn’t too reliable on note taking, I figured you could borrow mine.”

Harry smiled, accepting the notes. “Thanks. I don’t know what I did today. Must have stirred clockwise instead of counterclockwise. I always forget.”

Draco shrugged. “It happens. You just really have to pay attention to details. I’m sure the mud–I mean _Granger_ , she must nag you about it a lot.”

Harry smiled even wider. “Yeah, a bit. She’s my best friend though.”

“I know, Pansy is the same way. Constantly on me about stuff, but I wouldn’t trade her for the world.”

Harry didn’t know why he felt a sudden pang of jealousy. He pushed it away for now, as he began to copy down Draco’s notes. He had such neat, cursive handwriting. The words just flew so elegantly across the page. It looked so clean and soft. It made him think of Draco’s hands. They were so soft, kind of cold, but they always felt warm in his own hands.

He wondered if his lips felt the same way.

And then he was blushing, because _Harry, what the hell?_

“This is nice,” Draco said, breaking the silence. “I like studying in here. Better than being stuck in the library or cramped up in the common room.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, you can imagine the noise that comes from the Gryffindor Common room. And I can do without Madam Pince breathing down my neck constantly.”

Draco laughed at that, causing Harry’s insides to do those somersaults again. He couldn’t help it though, he’d never seen Draco this carefree, this _happy_. What had gotten into him? _What’s gotten into me?_

They’ve only had three DA lessons for the past three weeks, and they only started hanging out together for the last week or so outside of that. In fact, it had been Draco’s idea to start studying together in the room of requirement after Harry’s first potions mishap where Draco had started sending him notes in class.

_What the hell Potter? What happened to Remedial potions lessons? – D_

_Clearly, they aren’t working! – H_

_Pour in a teaspoon of salamander blood and mix counterclockwise three times – D_

_Oh! It’s blue again! Thanks! – H_

_Idiot Gryffindor – D_

After class, Draco had told Harry to meet him in the Room of Requirement after dinner, and ever since then it’s been their place to study. The room changes into their miniature library, and they study together, where Draco usually helps Harry fix his potions notes, “Merlin, Potter, how can anyone understand this handwriting?”, and Harry helps Draco with his DADA notes, “ _Finite Incantatem_ , is a non-specific counter-spell that acts over an area to terminate spell effects in general. _Finite_ , is similar, but not quite the same. It acts on a specified target. People get them confused quite often.”

Ron and Hermione were starting to notice the change in their relationship. “You two sure are being friendly.” Ron accused one night.

“It’s not an accusation if it’s true, Ron,” Hermione stated. “And I, for one, am glad to see a change in behavior from you two. The fighting was starting to become a bit over the top.”

“Yeah, well, I prefer the fighting over this.”

“Over what? Us hexing each other until one of us ends up in the infirmary? I think Madam Pomfrey is getting tired of seeing us every other week.” Harry joked.

Ron rolled his eyes. “So what, are you two friends now?”

Harry frowned. “I don’t know,”

And he honestly didn’t. Sure, they were on a first name basis, but Harry was on a first name basis with everyone. And yeah, they studied together, but Harry sometimes studied with Lavender and Parvati, and he didn’t really consider them friends. And so what, he was teaching Draco DADA, he was also teaching a bunch of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws DADA too, what was the difference?

Nothing had seriously changed between the two, they were just being nice. Granted no one made Harry laugh the way Draco did. And whenever he made Draco laugh, Harry felt like his whole body was on fire from the warm fuzzy feeling it gave him. And, okay, maybe Draco smiling is the best thing Harry has ever seen. And _maybe_ he’s dreamed about the blond a few times, but he’s dreamed about Ron and Hermione before. He’s made them laugh plenty of times. They have great smiles.

Who was he kidding?

Even if they were friends, Harry wanted so much more.

\---

“We have got to stop running into each other like this, Harry,” Draco called from down the hall.

Harry smiled, on his way back to the common room for his free period. “Where are you on your way to, Draco?”

“To see the Pink Toad,” Draco drawled, making a sick face. “She’s called a meeting in her office.”

Harry laughed, “Sucks being a teacher's pet, doesn’t it?”

“Shut up, Potter.” Draco hissed, whacking his shoulder as he walked passed him.

Harry laughed, turning to look over his shoulder as they continued walking their separate ways. “Have fun Malfoy!” he shouted, looking straight ahead again. As he was about to round the corner, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, remembering something, and went sprinting back down the hallway. He grabbed Draco’s hand just as he was stepping onto the moving stairs.

“Wha–“

“Draco! I just remembered, don’t drink the tea!”

“Harry–What? The tea?”

“Umbridge! You’re going to go see her, right? Don’t drink the tea.”

“What? But, why?”

“You’ll just have to trust me on this one.” And with that, he turned and sprinted back the way he came from.

Draco once again looked down at his hand, missing the warmth from the other.

\---

As Draco entered into the room, the Pink Toad was already there, Filch standing beside her, along with Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Milli, and a few other members. He took his seat in between Pansy and Milli, and nodded to the other members of the group, before turning towards Umbridge. She seemed…happy today. That must be a good sign. He wasn’t sure why she was calling a meeting, as she hadn’t said in her owl earlier that morning, but he knew by the look on her face that she meant business.

“Hem hem!” she addressed the room, and soon all noise dialed down. “I am sure you are all curious as to why I have summoned you all here?”

There were murmurs around the room, and so she decided to continue. “As you know, I am… _concerned_ that there are some rule breakers amongst us, and _I_ for one, intend to get down to the bottom of it!” she said, her voice a tad bit too cheery. As she continued to talk, she raised her wand into the air, and summoned a tray of tea, cream and sugar, floating it over and serving out the tea to each of the members, giving them each a cup.

“–and I’ll be sure to give them their proper punishment. Go on now, drink some tea! I have some things I want to ask of you, but you all must be parched! Hmm, I do believe I have some biscuits around here somewhere…”

As everyone got their drinks, and began to sip, Draco brought his up and examined it. While he enjoyed his tea to be sweet, his cup looked a tad too light in color. He preferred pouring his own cups of tea, but he didn’t see anyone else complaining. He was just about to take a sip, when he remembered the urgency in Harry’s voice with his warning.

_You’ll just have to trust me on this one…_

Suddenly, Draco felt uneasy. He pretended to take a sip, and then placed his cup back down.

“Now, miss Bulstrode, let me ask you a question,” Umbridge began. “Do you know of any secret clubs going on about Hogwarts?”

“No, but I was thinking about joining the Wizard Card Collectors’ Club.” She said, looking confused afterwards and slightly horrified.

_Veritaserum_

Now Draco understood. He stared down into his cup, and looked back up, only to be met by Umbridge’s piercing gaze. “Malfoy. You’re one of my most trusted members. You must have something good to tell me?”

Draco had to play this right in order for it to be believable. He pretended to take a sip of his tea, before lightly placing it back down on the table. “I may have reason to suspect something going on with the Gryffindors. I think I saw them the other night, sneaking out to play Quidditch.”

“Students out of bed after curfew!” Filch bellowed. “Why, I’d never. Back in my day! I’ll get my chains, yes I will.”

Umbridge, ignoring Filch, looked tentative. “Hmm, thank you Malfoy, for that insight. Better than nothing I suppose. And you, Parkinson, what do you have to report?”

The meeting went on like that for another thirty minutes or so, before Umbridge was finally satisfied, and let them go. As Draco left her office, he couldn’t help the smile that was on his face. He had successfully steered the Pink Toad away from the DA and onto something else totally unrelated and untrue.

At least he hoped it was.

But more importantly, Harry had protected him. Sure, it was probably to save his own skin, but he seemed genuinely concerned for Draco. And Merlin knows, Umbridge has asked way more personal questions than what she asked today, part of the reason why Draco was glad she was in such a good mood.

Draco bit his lip, as he headed towards the Great Hall for lunch. He’d have to repay Harry for the tip off. He was a Slytherin after all, and he had to give credit where credit was due. But what could he do?

“Earth to Draco!” Pansy said, waving a hand in front of his face.

“Hmm?”

“Were you even paying attention to me?” Pansy said, placing her hands on her hips.

Draco rolled his eyes. “Of course, Darling.”

“Hmm. Anyways, I was asking if you were busy this Saturday after the Quidditch match? Me and Blaise are trying to sneak into Hogsmeade with a couple of other students. You in?” she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“I’m always in.” Draco replied, as they entered the Great Hall together. The food was already laid out on the tables as students filtered in and out of the room. Not everyone ate at lunch time as some students either had class or were off somewhere else studying. As he took a seat, he saw Harry and Ron eating together. As if feeling someone watching him, Harry looked up and the two made eye contact.

Draco smiled at him, nodding his head. Harry immediately smiled back, and offered him a wave, earning him a glare from Ron. Draco chuckled as he piled food onto his plate.

“You two are getting along quite well.” Pansy observed.

Draco rolled his eyes. “I’m spying on him for Umbridge, remember?” he lied.

Pansy shook her head. “Nope. I may not be a Ravenclaw, but I’m not blind.”

Draco frowned, turning his attention from the Gryffindor to his best friend. He loved Pansy like a sister, and it was true, the girl was pretty perspective. He had to give her credit, she was one of the few people who ever called him out on his bullshit, and he respected her for that.

Pansy rolled her eyes. “Well, isn’t it obvious? You like him!”

“Do not,”

“Oh, you so do, don’t even try to deny it! One day your bickering back and forth and now suddenly you guys say hi to each other in the hallway and smile to one another from across the room?”

“She’s got a point, Draco,” Blaise said, joining them as he began to fill a plate with food. “I mean, you’ve always been obsessed with him.”

Draco shrugged. “So what? That doesn’t mean anything.”

“It means, that you’re a love sick crupp who is crushing on the Chosen One! I mean, is he even gay?”

Blaise snorted.

“Shut up Blaise!” Draco said, shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “Pansy, you are looking way too far into this.”

“Hey, I’m not one to judge. I’ll be the first one to say I think the Weasley girl is pretty hot. I just want you to be careful.”

Blaise smirked. “I’ll drink to that,”

Draco stared, bewildered at his friends. “First, ew. Second, I can’t believe I’m friends with you guys. But, thanks. I know you're both just trying to look out for me, but I’m okay. I promise. And I don’t have a crush on Harry. I’m just happy that we’re finally starting to get along for once, instead of all the endless fighting.”

“Trying to make up for lost time?”

Draco sighed. “Five years is a lot of time to make up for, Pans.”

She smiled, patting his shoulder. “Something tells me, you’ve got all the time in the world.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friendship is not always easy

“Do the Gryffindors play quidditch at night?”

“What?”

“Like, do you guys sneak out after curfew in your PJ’s and go play quidditch?”

“No…why?”

“I lied to Umbridge.” Draco said. “She was asking about your little DA group. Since I didn’t drink the tea, I told her that I wasn’t sure about any illegal clubs, but I could have sworn I saw a couple Gryffindors heading out to play quidditch on the back field after curfew.”

Harry smiled wide. “Oh my god, you are a genius!”

“Thanks, I know, it’s–“

“We should _totally_ do that! Ron’s going to be so excited, and I bet Angelica and Katie would be on board. Obviously the twins would be down for it, and I could convince Dean to–“

“Harry!” Draco hissed, throwing his quill at the boy sitting across from him. “It was a lie! Meaning not true! As in you are not allowed to sneak off and get in trouble for something you haven’t even done!”

“Okay, first of all _ow!_ ” he said, throwing the quill back at Draco. “Second of all, but it sounds like so much fun!”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Stop whining, more working! Seriously Potter, you have extra lessons with Snape every night, why does it seem like you haven’t learned a thing?”

“Because I haven’t! He’s a horrible teacher.” So, maybe it was a lie, but it was a small one.

Draco rolled his eyes. “I’m starting to think maybe you’re just a bad student.”

“Hey!”

“I’m just saying! And you know Snape isn’t going to let you play Quidditch if you continue to fail his class.”

“I am not failing! And for the record– wait, play quidditch?”

Draco looked up with a smirk on his lips and a gleam in his eyes.

“Draco, what do you mean by he won’t let me play quidditch? I already can’t play quidditch.”

“What are you talking about? You’re the second best Seeker we’ve ever had!”

“Second best?”

“To me of course.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean. Malfoy, what are you up to?”

“Is Gryffindor not playing Ravenclaw this weekend?”

“Yes.”

“And are you not a Gryffindor?”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Yes…”

“And you play quidditch?”

“Yes, Draco, get on with it!” Harry snapped, but he was smiling, his own eyes starting to sparkle.

“I _may_ have talked the Pink Toad into letting you play on your team again.”

“Wait, you _what_? Are you serious?” Harry said, jumping out of his seat.

“Yes, but she said no more fights, and no more detentions. Plus, you have to get Snape’s approval, which he said he wouldn’t give, unless you–“

Malfoy didn’t get finish his sentence. In two seconds flat he was being crushed by the Boy Who Lived.

“Thank you, thank you, _thank you!_ Oh my gosh, Draco, you are the best! I can’t even believe you would do this for me!” Harry said, squeezing him tight.

Draco felt like he had died. Or at least like he was about to, with Harry suffocating him. But he didn’t care. Harry was hugging him. Not hexing him, not holding his hand, _hugging him_! He was so warm, so muscular. He was just the right height where Draco could rest his chin on top of Harry’s head and _oh merlin_ , he smells so good!

Draco was lost for words, but he had to try. “I felt like I owed you,” he said, wrapping his arms around Harry so the hug wasn’t one-sided. “You did tip me off about the tea, and you’ve been helping me with these DA lessons. Besides, I _did_ get you kicked off the team in the first place, it seemed only fair…”

Harry was somehow squeezing Draco even tighter now. “You are freaking amazing, and I love you, and I will do whatever you want because _merlin_ , do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been on a broom?”

Draco felt dizzy. _He loves me! No, idiot, he meant it as a “you’re the best, I love you” not as a “I love you, kiss me”! He still said it though! Stop arguing with yourself Draco!_ “You don’t have to do all that. And it’s only been a couple weeks. The quidditch season is still going strong, you’ve still got at least half a season to go.”

Harry leaned back from the hug to stare into Draco’s eyes. “You are the best. I can’t even thank you enough!”

“There’s no need to. It’s what friends are for, right?”

Harry literally looked on the verge of tears, as he pulled Draco in for another hug. Draco pulled him tight, inhaling his intoxicating scent. He sighed, closing his eyes and getting lost in the feel of being held by Harry and being able to hold him back.

Pansy was right. He was done for.

\---

“Let’s try a Patronus today.”

Draco blinked. “What? No, we haven’t gone over _Petrificus Totalus_ yet.”

“I know, but we can come back to it. A Patronus can be hard to summon at first, it takes a lot of work. Plus, I figure if I practice it with you, I’ll be better prepared to practice it on the main group later on.”

“Are they catching up to us yet?”

Harry shrugged, walking around Draco to get him into position. “They’re getting there. It’s not that they’re behind, we’re just a bit more skilled. We have a lot more practice than they do.” Which was true. Harry’s been through a lot these past five years, especially last year with being in the Triwizard Tournament. And he was sure that Draco was being trained at home as well. A lot of these students didn’t get to practice these types of spells outside of Hogwarts. They just needed time to learn and grow.

“So, a Patronus charm. It’s a lot harder than it seems.” Harry began. “First, what I want you to do, is close your eyes and think of a happy memory. Don’t worry about the spell or what the outcome may be. Just think of a memory.”

Draco nodded, closing his eyes and searching for a memory. “It has to be a strong one.” Harry continued. “Something with value; with meaning.”

Draco nodded, searching for the right one. He finally settled on one; it was a memory of second year, his first time playing Quidditch at Hogwarts. “Now what?”

“Raise your arm up high in the air.” Draco did as he was instructed. “Like this.” And then Harry’s hand was on his, guiding his arm up, high into the air. His body was pressed slightly against Draco’s back, and Draco tried to suppress a shiver. _Focus on the spell, Draco, focus on the spell…_

“There. Now, still thinking of the memory, when you’re ready, say the incantation _Expecto Patronum_ ,” Harry instructed.

Draco nodded, keeping the memory in his mind as he uttered the words. _“Expecto Patronum!”feel it_. It’s more than just a spell, it’s a command.”

Draco stared at Harry as he talked to him. It was fascinating, how passionate Harry became about this subject. Draco could tell he really loved it, and it made him happy to see Harry so in his element.

“Do you want to try it again?” Harry asked.

Draco shrugged, feeling up to anything with Harry smiling at him like that. “I don’t see why not,”

\---

Harry and Draco stood in the room of requirement together, Harry with a concentrated look on his face, and Draco with a slight scowl.

“This isn’t work Potter.” Draco spat.

Harry sighed, walking around Draco. “You just need to concentrate. What are you thinking about?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “I _am_ concentrating! And what’s it matter what I’m thinking about, it’s something happy.”

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m trying to work with you, can you be just a _little_ cooperative?

Draco huffed. “Well, what am I supposed to be doing? We’ve tried everything!”

Harry thought for a moment. “What have you been thinking of?”

“Potter—”

“Malfoy, _please_.”

Draco sighed. “Okay, fine.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I was thinking about when I got my wand for the first time.”

Harry stood and thought for a moment before finally speaking. “It’s better, but I think you need something stronger.”

Draco scoffed. “And what do _you_ think about when you perform this spell?”

“Lots of different things. Mostly though, I think about Ron and Hermione.”

“Figures.” Draco muttered.

_“EXPECTO PATRONUM!”_ Harry shouted, and out came a bright and majestic stag. “Works for me.” he said with a slight shrug and a smirk.

“Show off.” Draco muttered. Draco closed his eyes again, _really_ thinking of a memory this time. _What makes me happy?_ First he thought about things from his childhood, but then decided to try and take Harry’s advice, moving on to something different.

He thought about receiving his letter to Hogwarts, but that wasn’t much. He thought about when he had been sorted into Slytherin, but that wasn’t strong enough either. He thought about winning his first Quidditch game and becoming prefect, but nothing was making him _truly_ happy.

He then tried thinking back to first year. _What had happened?_ He remembered the joy he had felt when they had initially won the house cup. But then he remembered that they, in fact, did not win, but that Gryffindor had. He remembered how disappointed and angry he had been.

But he also remembers the look that had been on Harry’s face when Gryffindor had won. He had this huge smile, and his eyes shined so bright. It was the happiest he had ever seen him up until that point. It brought butterflies to Draco’s stomach just thinking about it.

With a slight smile on his face, he lifted up his wand and shouted the spell. _“EXPECTO PATRONUM!”_

And out came…well Draco wasn’t sure, he still had his eyes closed. But, they immediately flew open when he heard Harry gasp from behind him.

“Draco…” and there in front of them was a wispy image of a Dragon. It wasn’t a strong one, but it was something.

“Wow.” Harry said. “The first time I casted mine, I couldn’t even tell what it was.”

Draco had to give a little smirk at that. “Just proves that I’m still better than you.”

Harry rolled his eyes, too impressed to really care. “But still. That was really good for your first Patronus. What did you think about?”

Draco shrugged, barely hiding his blush. “Last year, dancing with Pansy at the Yule Ball.”

Harry nodded in thought. “We can work on this more next time. Maybe think of some more strong memories to improve the image of your Patronus.”

Draco nodded, glad Harry couldn’t see through his lie. However, he didn’t notice the hurt painted across Harry’s face, when he had said the “memory” he used. Harry tried to ignore the pang of hurt from the thought of Draco thinking of Pansy that way.

“I think we’re done for the day.” Harry said, clearing his throat.

Draco spun around, staring at him. “What? But I just got it!”

Harry nodded, not meeting Draco’s eyes. “I know. But we’ve done a lot today. We’ll try again next week, yeah?”

Draco knew there was something wrong, and he wanted to ask, but Harry was walking out the room, before he could even find the words. “Wait up!” Draco called to him. Once out in the hallway, Harry started making his way down the hall.

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” Draco called out to him. Harry never left without saying goodbye, and it made his heart hurt to think that he was just going to walk away.

Harry didn’t even look over his shoulder. “Yeah, Malfoy, tomorrow.” And then he disappeared around the corner.

Draco stared at the blank hallway in front of him.

He had called him Malfoy.

Somehow, it made his heart hurt that much worse.

\---

The next morning at Breakfast, Harry didn’t even look in Draco’s direction. When Draco called out to him in the hallway, he pretended that he couldn’t hear him. When Harry messed up his potion in class, he didn’t even open the note Draco sent him. And when they were in History of Magic, and Ron called Draco a “greasy Slytherin ferret” Harry didn’t scold him for it.

Draco was at a loss for words.

When he went to the Room of Requirement that night to study, there was no Harry waiting for him. He waited; five minutes, ten minutes, thirty minutes, and then walked back to the dungeons, trying to think of what he could have possibly done to the Gryffindor to somehow make them revert back to their old ways.

Expect, this wasn’t how it used to be.

At least when they were enemies, Harry had the decency to acknowledge him. Now he was just being completely ignored. Pansy kept asking if he was okay, Blaise gave him some chocolate from his hidden stash, even Granger threw him concerned glances every now and then. Draco didn’t care. He didn’t want their attention. All he wanted was Harry.

That Saturday, he stood alone in the quidditch stands, watching Ginny dive for the snitch. Harry wasn’t even in the stands. He usually stayed inside on Saturday Mornings to work on his potions homework, not wanting to be reminded of what he was missing out on. But for the past couple of matches, he would sneak out and sit with Draco in the stands, as they cheered on their fellow students. Now Draco sat alone, shivering from the cold, missing Harry’s warm body next to his.

Draco went to Hogsmeade alone, along with Pansy, Blaise, Milli, and a couple other Slytherin students. Last night he was going to ask Harry if he’d go with him. He was going to formally introduce him to his friends, try to prove to Harry that he had actually been trying to make a friendship workout between them.

Instead, he sat in between his best friends at the Three Broomsticks, as he finally broke down and explained to them what had happened between him and Harry. When he had finished, Pansy looked downright murderous, Blaise a bit more empathetic. It was Milli, however, who broke the silence.

“I think he likes you.”

“How can you say that, when he’s been down right rude to Draco!” Pansy shot back.

“Draco, you told Harry your happiest memory was of you and Pansy, and all of a sudden, he doesn’t want to talk to you? You’ve been practically inseparable for the past couple weeks! He probably thinks you’ve been giving him mixed signals or something.”

“She’s got a point. Not to mention, it’s not like he knows about your guys’ relationship.” Blaise commented, “I mean, you two dated for like a month, and it wasn’t even that serious to begin with.”

Draco frowned into his mug of butterbeer as it all starting to click. And Blaise was right, Harry didn’t know. At the Yule Ball, Pansy had complained the whole time about Theo not asking her and taking Daphne instead, and Draco wouldn’t shut up about how it should have been him dancing with Potter instead of the Patil Twin.

But how could Draco know for sure if Harry really did like him? He couldn’t just confront Harry about it. And what if Milli was wrong? What if it was something completely different? What if he has a crush on Pansy? It seemed highly unlikely, but Draco wasn’t about to get his hopes up just for them to be crushed again.

He didn’t even care if did Harry like him or not.

Draco just wanted his friend back.

\---

Harry sat on the fur rug that sat in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common room. He hadn’t moved from it since he’d come back from dinner. He hadn’t even bothered with starting his homework yet, he was so lost in thought.

Ron and Hermione had been concerned, and had followed after Harry as soon as he had left the dining hall. Upon seeing him sat on the floor as he was, they immediately recognized that he was in “one of his moods”, so they simply plopped down behind him on the couch, waiting for when he would be ready to speak.

It took a long time. The Common room had been empty all for a few people when Harry had come up. The room had slowly filled back up to capacity, and was just now starting to empty out again. Even after the last person left, he sat still gazing into the fire, as if an answer would pop out of the flames and hit him in the face.

Eventually, Ron had had enough. “I’m tired. He’ll talk to us when he’s ready, Mione.” He said, patting her knee, before standing up. He squeezed Harry’s shoulder in reassurance, and then he was gone, heading up the stairs to their dorm. Hermione watched him leave, but remained seated and continued to wait. Only when Harry was sure Ron was gone for good, did he finally speak up.

“I think I like him.”

Hermione sighed. “I think you love him.”

Harry turned around to face her, not even surprised that she already knew who he was talking about. “I think he likes Pansy,”

She nodded. “She’s…appealing, I suppose,”

Harry snorted. “You were right. I shouldn’t have got my hopes up,”

“Harry–”

“No, it’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting it, you know? One minute, he’s this annoying, self-entitled, Slytherin prat, and the next he’s…Hermione he’s so…God, I can’t even _describe it!_ He’s not nice, he’s not sweet or charming, or whatever you want to call it. But he’s…Draco. I don’t know what it is. When everyone is around, he’s just Malfoy. But with me…he’s just Draco. And now that I’ve met him, it’s like I don’t ever want to go back. Does that even make any sense?”

Hermione laughed, shaking her head. “Not in the slightest bit. He’s not two different people, Harry,”

“But that’s the thing, isn’t it? That’s what’s so complicating. It’s like when I’m with him, I almost forget he’s a snarky bastard. He’s actually really funny. We both have a dark sense of humor. He’s just…everything Hermione, I don’t know.”

“Well, I have to admit, he is a step up from Cho.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Don’t remind me. I just wish he liked me back.”

“Well, just give it some time,” Hermione advised. “Give yourself some time and space to think. Don’t just give up hope.”

Harry smiled up at his friend. He was glad she was so optimistic, but he hadn’t even realized he had felt this way about Draco, until he realized Draco didn’t feel the same way as he did. What was the point in trying to get Draco to like him, if it was already a lost cause?

Could they really just remain friends after this? Harry didn’t want to think about it anymore.

\---

A few days later Harry was making his way back from another grueling Occlumency lesson, when he saw Draco coming his way. He thought about turning around and going the other way, when Draco looked up at him. They made eye contact for what seemed like forever, but could have really only been about three seconds.

And then Draco turned and walked away.

Harry didn’t understand why Draco had been so down for the past couple of days. Now he understood perfectly clear. Draco was hurting. He missed Harry just as much as he missed Draco.  
And seeing him turn and walk away like Harry had been doing to him made his heart break just that much more.

\---

Harry stood against the door leading into the Room of Requirement. He wasn’t even sure if Draco would show up, but neither of them had missed a DA meeting yet, and he was hoping that they wouldn’t start now. Draco, however was running late, and Harry was beginning to lose hope.

He was just about to push off the door and leave, when he heard footsteps pounding from down the hall. Draco came bounding around the corner, out of breath, with his robes slightly disheveled.

“Sorry, Umbridge was tracking me down, took me forever to lose her. Not sure what she wanted, but the woman looked _mad!_ Like not mad as in _grrr_ mad, but mad as in _I’m going insane_ mad!”

Harry couldn’t help it. He bursted out laughing, and that caused Draco to start laughing. Suddenly, it felt like it always had been, like they hadn’t been avoiding one another for the past week. Like Draco didn’t have a gigantic crush on Harry, and Harry wasn’t trying to deny his feelings for a boy he was clearly starting to fall in love with.

But then the laughter died down, and reality sank back in, the boys couldn’t look each other in the eye anymore. “Come on, the room is already ready.” Harry said, turning to walk into the room.

Both boys weren’t stupid enough to think the DA room would actually appear. That would have been too easy. Instead, it was their little sitting room, like the second time they had met for their lesson. One fireplace, two plush arm chairs, and a couch facing the fireplace with the coffee table in the middle.

Harry walked in and plopped down on the couch, because _why not?_ Draco followed suit, plopping down next to him. Harry sat staring at his hands linked together in his lap. Malfoy stared straight ahead into the fire. The quiet was loud, almost deafening. Harry thought he was losing his mind. Draco felt as if he couldn’t breathe. The tension could have cut glass, and if a quill had been dropped, they would have been able to hear it from a mile away.

It was getting to the point of unbearable when finally, both boys finally spoke.

“I’m sorry,”  
“I thought you were my friend!”

This was followed by more silence, and then;

“I am your friend,”  
“You called me Malfoy,”

Both were at a loss for words for quite some time, before;

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,”

“The silence was worse than the fighting,”

“I didn’t mean to get upset,”

“You could have just talked to me,”

“I didn’t know what to say,”

“A simple, hi or bye Draco would have been fine,”

“I thought maybe you’d be happier without me around,”

“That’s the stupidest thing I have ever heard,”

“I was just trying to give you space,”

“Who said I wanted you to go away?”

“I didn’t know I meant that much to you,”

“You ignore me, you don’t read my notes, you let Weasley insult me, and you thought that I _wouldn’t care!_ ”

“I was just trying to–“

“Only thinking about yourself, huh Potter?”

“Draco–“

“Oh, so it’s back to Draco, now?”

“Draco, _please_?”

“I don’t have anything else to say to you.” Draco replied, turned away, facing the opposite end of the couch. Yes, it was childish, but he didn’t care. He was hurt, embarrassed and ashamed. The last thing he needed was for his pride to be taken away too. He was _not_ going to cry, especially in front of Harry Potter.

Harry sighed, thinking of what he could say or do to possibly make things better with Draco. He just wanted his friend back. He wanted things to go back to the way they were. He missed the play fighting and snarky remarks, and playful shoulder bumps in the hallways. He missed it all, but mostly–

“I miss you.”

Draco was silent.

“I miss your smile. I miss your laugh. You haven’t done either of those things for the past week or so. I always wondered why you never seemed to be happy around anyone else. It’s like this school drains you of energy or something. But whenever we would sit here in this room, you would just light up, and it made me _so_ happy to see you so carefree. I think that’s what I miss most, Draco. Seeing you happy.”

There was more silence. Harry had half a mind to just stand up and leave when Draco finally muttered. “You make me happy.”

Draco finally turned around from his spot on the couch, tears silently falling down his now rosy cheeks. “Oh, Draco.” Harry said, reaching out a hand and wiping away his tears. “I am _so_ sorry. I never meant to push you away.”

Draco sniffed. “Bloody Gryffindors.” he sneered, but there wasn’t any venom in the snarky reply.

“I know. We tend to be overdramatic.”

“And foolish. And over the top. And ignorant. And–“

“Okay, I get it. I’m an idiot.”

“And a prat.”

“Yes, and an asshole, anything else you want to add to the list, Malfoy?”

“You’re a selfish git, and I hate you so much, and if you tell _anyone_ that you saw me cry, I _swear_ to Merlin and all his disciples that I will turn you into the Pink Toad and help her feed you to Fluff Monster and Sweetie Muffins, and McGonagall too, because _dammit I know she’s one of those fucking cats!_ ”

And then they were laughing again, holding each other tight.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Relationships continue to grow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost forgot to post this today! Whoops...

Draco suspected he knew why Harry had all of a sudden just stopped talking to him, but he needed to know for sure. How else was he going to act on his feelings unless he knew how the Gryffindor felt? He was a Slytherin after all. He’s smart and cunning, not dramatic and spontaneous.

So, after their heartfelt moment, in which Draco wiped away his tears and accepted Harry’s beg for forgiveness, they waited for the room to change. Apparently, it decided they needed a break from the DA as the only thing that changed was now there was a desk pushed against the far wall where they could sit and do their homework in a slightly more relaxed environment.

As they sat quietly working, Harry on Divination and Draco on Transfiguration, he just had to ask.

“So, what did I do to make you stop talking to me?”

Harry went a little pale, but otherwise continued to scribble on his parchment. “Nothing, really. It’s kind of stupid, actually,”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less from a Gryffindor.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “We’re not all bad you know,”

“You’re avoiding the question,”

“So what if I am?”

“What do you have to hide?”

“Why would I tell you what I’m hiding, if I’m _hiding_ it?”

“Oh, come off it Potter.”

“I’m just saying…”

Draco pursed his lips. Not only was Harry intentionally avoiding the subject, he was being open about it. He clearly didn’t want Draco to know, and it made his hunch that much stronger. He decided he better switch tactics.

“Alright, moving on. I have a new question for you,”

“Shoot.”

“We’re friends, right?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I think we just made that pretty clear,”

“So, that means I’m entitled to things,”

Harry looked up from his parchment, looking skeptical. “What kinds of things?”

“You know… _things_. Like…your favorite color, or when your birthday is, or the password to your diary.”

Harry blinked a couple of times. “Okay. First, _everybody_ knows when my birthday is. It’s like a national holiday or something,” Draco scoffed at that. “Second, I don’t have a diary,” Harry visibly shuddered at the idea. “And third, you know my favorite color is gold.”

“That’s a lie, your favorite color is ocean blue,”

“Aha!” Harry said with a smirk. Draco groaned.

“Alright, you got me. But still, I’m sure Ron and Hermione know a whole lot more than I do,”

“We’ve been friends longer. And I’ve trusted them longer. They’ve been with me this whole time,”

“So have I,”

“They’ve helped me with trying to defeat Voldemort. _You’ve_ climbed into trees and made stink badges for me,”

“Okay, so there have been some minor downfalls,”

Harry rolled his eyes again. “What is it you want to know, anyways?”

Draco opened his mouth to answer, but then thought against it. What was there to say? _Do you like Pansy? Were the rumors about you and Hermione dating last year true? But aren’t you gay, people_ definitely _thought you and Cedric had a secret thing going on…_ There was no right question. He decided to leave it alone and move on to something else.

“Why do you like treacle tart so much?”

_Smooth, Draco._

Harry snorted. “That’s all you wanted to know?”

“No, but it was the first good thing I could think of,”

“Well, why do you love pudding so much?”

“The fact that you have to ask me such an offensive question is enough to make me greatly consider revoking this friendship.”

Harry laughed, throwing his head back. “You’re so dramatic! I like treacle tart because it’s sweet, warm, and gooey. It’s literally magical.”

Draco snorted. “Whatever floats your boat, Potter.”

“Preferably water,”

“Smart arse,”

“Thank you.”

Draco threw another quill at Harry. “Honestly,”

Harry rubbed his forehead, while sticking his tongue out at Draco. After a bit more bickering back and forth, the two fell back into a comfortable silence as they finished up their assignments for the day.

\---

Draco was on his way to Arithmancy, along side Pansy and, surprisingly enough, Hermione. He and Pansy had been trailing along, when Hermione had turned a corner and silently fell into step beside him. Pansy had shot her a suspicious glare, but Draco had just simply nodded in greeting.

"You're being awfully nice to me, Granger," Draco commented, which was true. Ever since he and Harry had started down this road to friendship, Hermione has been pretty open about the whole thing.

She gave him a contemplative look. "I'm nice to everyone. Besides, I figure if we're to be spending more time together, I might as well try to get to know you, or at the least get on your good side,"

Pansy sniffed, but Draco ignored her.

"If anyone needs to get on my good side it's Weasley," he said, honestly. "Not that I've been all that nice to you either. I figure you'd have a death wish over my head or something."

Hermione tried to cover up her laughter. "Yes, we've had our...disagreements, but much like Harry, I don't hate you Malfoy. I wish you'd be a lot nicer to me and my friends, but I can tell that you're really trying for Harry."

Draco smiled, glad to know that his efforts weren't going unnoticed. In all honesty, he wasn't even trying to do anything. He was just...doing whatever made Harry happy.

"Well, Granger, I can assure you it is no act," he paused before adding, "I… care a lot about him."

Hermione smiled. Pansy wore an evil smirk. "Oh yes, our Draco is _very fond_ of the Golden Boy."

Draco blushed, subtly elbowing Pansy in the ribs, but it didn't go unnoticed by the Gryffindor.

"Oh, well I can only imagine. Harry seems to have found quite the... _attraction_ with the Slytherin Prince here as well."

And then both girls were just barely covering up their giggles as Draco's face burned like a hot cauldron.

"I like her!" Pansy said, once they were able to control themselves. "Say, Granger, does the Golden Boy ever go on and on about how Draco is just _awful_ and _so perfect _all the time?"__

__Hermione snickered. "I don't know, does Draco go on and on about how much he _can't stand_ Harry and how _uptight_ he is?"_ _

__Draco groaned as they continued to torture him. "Yes, yes, you've all had your fun, can we get to class now?"_ _

__The girls shared a look and then broke into another fit of giggles. Draco rolled his eyes, praying for the day to be over with._ _

__\---_ _

__Draco was on his way to Charms, sadly another class he did not share with the Harry, when he ran into the Golden Boy._ _

__"Hey," he said grabbing Draco's upper arm._ _

__In that moment, Draco felt a spark of energy flow throw him at the other boy's touch. He could practically _feel_ the excitement running through Harry, and it sent a shiver up his spine._ _

__Draco took a deep breath, trying to come back down from that sudden high. "Hello, Harry."_ _

__His smile was wide, and his eyes held this...sparkle. He was definitely up to something. "Can you keep a secret?"_ _

__"Depends,"_ _

__Harry leaned in close, almost brushing his lips against Draco's ear, causing another shiver to roll through him. "Let’s just say that the twins are hatching a plan, so I’d stay on their good side, if I were you.”_ _

__And then Harry pulled away, letting go of his arm. It made Draco feel cold. "I gotta go, but I'll see you...at dinner, I guess." he waved goodbye, and then he was gone out of sight._ _

__But not out of mind._ _

__\---_ _

__That night, as the two sat across from each other in the Room of requirement, Draco couldn't get one thing off of his mind._ _

__"What's with you and Snape?"_ _

__Harry startled a bit at the question. “What?”_ _

__Draco rolled his eyes. “You. Snape. Potions. Spill,”_ _

__Harry opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before just going with “I haven’t a clue what you’re on about, Malfoy,”_ _

__He frowned. “I don’t know if you think I’m an idiot, or if you’re just trying to convince yourself, but I’d appreciate it if as my friend, you didn’t just lie straight to my face, like you have been for the past couple of weeks.”_ _

__Harry continued to gape, eyes wide at the sudden accusations. “Draco, I…well,”_ _

__“I know something is up. You’ve been taking private lessons with him for the past month or so, and yet your potions work only started to improve _after_ I started tutoring you. Not to mention that week we weren’t talking, you managed to fail your pop quiz, explode two cauldrons, and burn off Weasley’s eyebrows.”_ _

__Harry blushed, clearly having been caught with no way out. “One of those explosions was Ron’s fault,”_ _

__Draco shook his head. “Not the point, Potter.”_ _

__Harry sighed, closing his textbook. “Okay, Snape hasn’t been teaching me potions. He _has_ been giving me lessons,”_ _

__Draco raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. “In?”_ _

__“Occlumency.”_ _

__Now both eyebrows were raised high. “You’re joking,”_ _

__“Does it _look_ like I’m joking?”_ _

__“I was starting to worry why extra potions lessons were starting to make you look like you’d just risen from the dead.”_ _

__“They’re excruciating, and I’m not learning anything. Everytime, without fail, he gets inside my mind, and it’s draining and completely useless.”_ _

__Draco nodded, deep in thought. “Yes, it can be,” Harry rose his own eyebrow at that. “Snape taught me last year.”_ _

__Harry looked stunned. “I-but, you-what? Why didn’t you tell me?”_ _

__“Why didn’t you tell me? And it’s not like we were friends at the time. Besides, you were too busy with the tournament to pay any attention to me,” Draco said the last part a bit bitterly._ _

__Harry gave him a soft look. “Doesn’t mean I didn’t notice you around. You were annoying as hell with the badges and taunting bets about how long I’d last in the tournament. But you were at every single task, and I watched you dance at the Yule Ball. Plus, you being turned into a ferret had to be my favorite part of last year,” Harry joked with a smirk._ _

__Draco visibly cringed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”_ _

__Harry laughed, but then sobered up a bit. “I’ve always noticed you Draco. You’re not very hard to miss,”_ _

__Draco blushed. “You’re just trying to make me feel better. And we were talking about potions! And you need some serious help with Occlumency, why haven’t you gone to Dumbledore?”_ _

__Harry gave Draco a smile he’d never seen before. It was kind and warm and…loving? No, that couldn’t be it. But it was so utterly sweet and it made Draco ache to just _be with him_. That smile made Draco want to pull Harry close, hold him, _kiss him_. The thought was terrifying, and yet, he wanted it so bad for it to come true._ _

__“I’m not just saying that. How do you think I know so much about you? It’s not like you’ve made it all that easy to ignore you for the past five years.”_ _

__“So what, I know a lot of stuff about you. And you’re still avoiding the subject,”_ _

__“I’m famous, of course you know a lot of stuff about me,” he said, both of them rolling their eyes at the statement. “And so what if I am? You’re way more important than potions and Occlumency and Dumbledore. You know why I can’t go to him, and there’s nothing to be done about Snape and Occlumency other than to just bare through it.”_ _

__Draco _really_ wanted to go back to the fact that to Harry _he was more important_ , but decided to push on instead. “So what if Dumbledore isn’t talking to you? Aren’t you a Gryffindor? Fucking do something about it. And as for Snape, if it means that much to you, I’ll teach you Occlumency.”_ _

__Harry shook his head. “You don’t have to, I mean you’re already helping me in potions-“_ _

__“And you’re helping me to defend myself against an evil dark lord. Teaching you potions is hardly a hardship, not to mention, I’m really fucking good at it. Let me do this one thing for you,”_ _

__“But-“_ _

__“Harry, please? Up until now…we—I’m really trying at this friend thing, okay? With Pansy and Blaise, it’s easy, I know them, I get them. But you’re different. You’re loud and ambitious, and the complete opposite of me. We fight all the time, and this is the first time we’re actually getting along. I just want to prove to you that I’m really _really_ trying to make this work. Let me help you.”_ _

__Draco looked so…open. And honest, Harry was temporarily rendered speechless. He’d never seen Draco act this way before, or seen him being so…personal. He was opening himself up to Harry, and it was both daunting and kind of heartwarming. Draco really was trying._ _

__Harry reached out and laid a gentle hand on top of Draco’s, whose hand had been resting on the desk. Harry gently squoze it. “Okay.”_ _

__Draco smiled, looking down and staring at their hands, as he turned his hand over, opening up his palm and interlaced their fingers. His usually clammy hands felt warm and safe interlocked with Harry’s. He squeezed their hands together, and Harry squeezed his hand back. The two stared down at their combined hands, neither refusing to let go, as their eyes made contact._ _

__Both wore a soft smile on their lips as they felt something unspoken pass between them. Like a sudden wave of emotion washing over them. Neither of them were sure of what it was, but something was definitely changing between the two of them. While they didn’t know what it was for sure, they were certain that whatever it was, was for the better. Their relationship was starting to grow stronger, and they could only hope for the best from this point forward._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now. No update tomorrow, so I will see you Thursday! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *insert creative and non-generic summary here* MORE DRARRY! *nailed it!*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgot I was supposed to post, and then almost decided not to post, and then was like fuck it, I'm posting, so here's a late chapter :) Will post another one for sure tomorrow, I promise!

“So, what’s the new plan?” Harry asked Draco on their way to Care of Magical Creatures.

“We’re going to do a tradeoff kind of thing,” Draco said, nodding to a few Slytherins as they passed by. Initially, it had been weird, seeing the Gryffindor and Slytherin being friendly to one another, let alone walking along the hallways together. But over time, people were starting to get used to it. Draco still got the occasional side look or irrelevant question, but other than that, things seemed to be going fine. “I figure one week we can do DA, the next Occlumency. Unless you wanted to meet up twice a week?”

Harry shrugged. “We study together every day after dinner, I’m sure we can throw Occlumency somewhere in there.” Harry said, waving to a group of Ravenclaws passing by, as they made their way out the front hall and onto the main grounds.

Draco nodded, smiling towards the group as they passed. “Well, we usually do DA on Tuesdays, but once you get your potions skills back up, you’ll have quidditch practice. You teach the other DA members on Wednesday, and then you go to Occlumency with Snape. I have quidditch practices Thursdays, and Prefect duties Friday’s.” Draco said, thinking out loud.

“That leaves the weekend, and Monday.” Harry observed.

Draco sighed. “Not Saturday morning. Quidditch games. Afterwards though…”

Harry smiled. “You’d give up your weekend to spend time with me?” he meant to say it in a kind of off handed way, like he was surprised, but didn’t really care one way or the other. Instead, it came out in this soft and questioning voice, because he was completely touched by the fact that Draco Malfoy was willing to give up his free time to a Gryffindor, much less himself.

Draco gave half a shrug, but he wore a smirk. “I don’t really do anything but sit in the common room, playing chess against Blaise, and gossiping with Pansy and Milli.”

“Wow, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve stolen my friends. I play chess with Ron in the common room, but usually Ginny is doing all of the gossiping. Hermione just sits and reads.”

Draco laughed smiling to a group of Hufflepuffs who passed by them, giggling to themselves. Harry waved to them, and it made the group laugh even louder. “Maybe one day our friends should get together. We can all coexist in perfect harmony.”

Harry knew Draco was kidding, but the idea was actually kind of appealing. “What about next Saturday?”

Draco looked over at Harry, incredulously. “What? Potter, I was joking.”

“I know, but…I mean, why not?”

“Slytherin. Gryffindor,” Draco said, pointing to each of them respectively. “I think enough has been said.”

Harry shrugged. “We seem to be doing just fine. Plus, you said Hermione and Pansy were actually getting along the other day,”

“Yes, you may also remember Weasley going on and on yesterday in History of Magic about how he can’t believe you can trust a snake like me.” Draco said, bitterly.

“And I told him that if he’s going to keep bashing my friends, that I was no longer going to help him with his Divination homework.”

Draco rolled his eyes, but smiled. “I can’t believe you two chose that class over anything else. I mean, yeah, Study of Ancient Runes is kind of boring, I took it last year, but Arithmancy is a step up from Divination. Plus, you seem like the perfect person to be taking Muggle Studies, I mean talk about an easy class to pass, you’d probably ace it in your sleep.”

Harry couldn’t argue with that logic. “But back to the point, you’d give up your weekend for me?”

“We could split it up. DA Saturday, Occlumency Sunday. The rest of the days can be spent working on potions like we’ve been doing so far, along with our other school work. Besides, you usually use your free period to do schoolwork as well, right?” Draco asked, looking at him with almost the same suspicious eyes and tone as Hermione.

Harry blinked a few times. “Yes, I do, if you must know.” he said, rolling his eyes. “You and Hermione are spending way too much time together.”

“I share more classes with her than I do with you,”

“You spend one extra class with her, that’s hardly a sufficient enough time more than me,”

“Is someone jealous?”

“No…”

“Plus, we share the same free period,”

“Hermione doesn’t even have a free period!” Harry said. “You two can’t possibly be spending that much time together!”

Draco snickered. “No, I lied. But look how worked up you just got! The look on your face, Potter!”

Harry shoved Draco away, but Draco just laughed, going so far as to wrap his arm around the Gryffindor’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “It’s okay, Harry, I know I’m incredibly popular, but I’ll always have time for you.”

Harry tried so hard not to blush, he really did. “Whatever, Malfoy.” he grumbled.

As they neared the rest of the class, Draco let go of Harry’s shoulder to head over to his group of friends. Harry missed the warmth of his arm around him, but he pushed the thought aside as he walked over towards Ron and Hermione. Today, they were learning about Knarls, and the group of Gryffindors and Slytherins seemed both nervous and collected, seeing as they were used to Hagrid’s way of teaching at this point, and these creatures were a lot less dangerous than the ones he’s previously taught them about.

“These fellers are a lot like hedgehogs. Ya jus gotta be careful when givin em food. They tend to get a bit feisty.” Which turned out to be an understatement, because when offered food, they tended to go off on a bit of a rampage, destroying a good bit of Hagrid’s garden in the process.

After class ended, Harry, Ron, and Hermione promised that they would come back and have tea with Hagrid later on, before following behind Draco, Blaise, and Theo back up into the castle for their next classes. All in all, today was starting out to be a good day, but Harry knew that he would soon need to start worrying about other things. Draco and Hermione were right, he needed to go and talk to Dumbledore before it was too late. As for Snape, he just hoped that with Draco teaching him Occlumency, things would somewhat begin to improve. He also knew that he was eventually going to have to sit down with Ron and explain his new found feelings towards Malfoy, because he was sure that he wasn’t going to take it well.

He wasn’t looking forward to any of it, so instead he pushed it out of his brain. Once back inside the building, the group made their way to the moving staircases, before parting ways. Theo and Blaise were already on their way down a flight of stairs, while Ron and Hermione had just started walking up a flight. Draco and Harry remained on the landing that wasn’t moving.

“I’m off to Charms. I guess I’ll see you sometime after lunch?”

Harry nodded. “I’ve got Astronomy, and then after lunch is DADA,”

Draco nodded, as if they didn’t already know this information. Truth was they were stalling and they both knew it. “Room of Requirement tonight?”

Harry smiled lopsidedly up at Draco. “Same as always,”

For some reason, Draco felt stuck. Like he couldn’t move. Harry seemed to be waiting for something as well. It was as if they couldn’t separate without some kind of proper goodbye being exchanged between the two.

Draco nodded towards the Gryffindor, feeling slightly dizzy, as he turned and walked down the flight of stairs that appeared in front of him. Harry watched him go until he was gone from his line of sight. With a sigh, he began to make his ascent up the stairs towards the astronomy tower. Somehow, he had a feeling that this day was only beginning.

\---

Harry entered into the DADA classroom, Hermione right behind him. Most the Gryffindors, including Ron, were already seated, and the Slytherins were just beginning to arrive. Umbridge was yet to be seen, most likely upstairs in her office, so the students were currently free to do as they would like.

Nothing was really out of the ordinary, except for maybe the fact that Ron had this huge grin on his face, Dean and Seamus couldn’t stop laughing, and Neville looked extremely nervous.

“What are you guys up to?” Hermione glanced suspiciously between the group, before piercing her gaze on Ron. “And what made you sneak away from lunch? You never leave before finishing a meal.”

Ron shrugged. “I finished eating, so I left and met up with my brothers, what’s so wrong with that?” it was obvious that he was lying, and before Hermione could interrogate him further, Harry stepped in. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Come on, let’s take our seats.”

So, Hermione sat in the front, Ron and Harry sat behind her, Neville across from them, and Dean and Seamus behind him. “So, what’s actually up with you?” Harry asked, leaning over so Hermione didn’t hear.

“When I left the hall, I went and talked to Fred and George.” Ron said, excitedly. “They’re planning some kind of prank later on, but you already knew that. What we _didn’t_ know is that they have a whole line of untested products that they’ve been meaning to try.”

Harry watched as Ron reached into his bag and pulled out a sack. He leaned over, and opened the bag up just enough for Harry to quickly peek into. “There’s trick wands, nose biters, non exploding balloons, shrinking keys, and some weird powder stuff. Anyways, they said we should try them out, see how they work.”

“On Umbridge?” Draco said, sitting down behind the two, Pansy joining him. “You must be mad!”

“And insane!” Hermione hissed. “Ronald Weasley, you put those away, right now!”

“Oh, come on Hermione!” Dean protested. “It’ll be fun!”

“They could hear us?”

“You’re not very good at the whole ‘secrecy thing’” Pansy air quoted. “Plus, your whispering voice sounds like a Hippogriff choking on water.”

Draco snorted, but tried to cover it up a bit too late. Harry was trying to make the corner of his mouth stop twitching into a smile. “Anyways, I’d have to agree. I would like it if I didn’t get anymore detentions.” Harry said, subconsciously rubbing at the back of his hand. Draco frowned, opening his mouth to say something, when Neville spoke up.

“And I don’t want to _start_ getting detentions.”

“Oh, they're not _that_ bad.” Seamus waved him off. “Nobody’s died yet.”

“Not this year,” Neville mumbled under his breath.

The subject of Cedric was still a bit touchy, but people were trying their best to move on. He would never be forgotten, and many people still look up to him, but times were changing and they needed to prepare for what was coming ahead of them.

“Besides the point,” Dean said. “If we work together, she’ll never know it was us! Besides, is she _really_ going to give the _whole class_ detention?”

“I will if I have to, Mr. Thomas.” came a high-pitched voice. Everyone sighed. “Oh, now now, stop it! None of that, now come on. Wands away, books up! Turn to page 396!”

Ron snickered. “You know what’s funnier than turning to page 396?”

Harry sighed, opening his textbook. “No, Ron. What could _possibly_ be funnier than page 396?”

Ron was trying to contain himself from bursting into a fit of laughter. “Turning to page 394!”

Harry rolled his eyes, Hermione sighed, and Pansy made this disgusted sort of face. But Draco? Draco had to cover his mouth, his body shaking violently from all the pent-up laughter. Luckily, Umbridge was facing the whiteboard and didn’t notice.

Ron turned around in his seat, also silently laughing. “I thought it was a good joke,”

“Bloody hell Weasley,” Draco coughed. “That was awful.”

Ron smiled. The two were talking, being _civil!_ Harry thought his brain was going to explode.

“Who- _what is wrong with my chalk?_ ” Umbridge wheezed. “What is happening? _Who did this!_ ” she hissed.

The chalk she was levitating with her wand to write on the board was apparently jinxed, because it wasn’t writing down the classes work for the day, but instead, was writing down rude and insulting jokes.

The class was visibly tittering on the line between horror of upsetting Umbridge, and wanting to die right there of laughter. The Slytherins were a lot better at trying to maintain a poker face than the Gryffindors, who were all red faced and biting their lips.

“I want answers _now!_ ” Umbridge roared.

And that seemed to have did it.

The floodgates opened as the students all but lost their minds, doubling over in a fit of tears and giggles. Even Hermione couldn’t help but to chuckle a bit, trying to cover it up with the palm of her hand. Neville was having a hard time breathing from laughing so hard, trying to cover it up by having a coughing fit. Pansy and Draco were currently hiding behind their textbooks, unable to control themselves, but having to keep up their image for the Inquisitorial Squad.

Umbridge scanned around the room madly, before spotting her trustees. “Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Parkinson!”

Both dropped their textbooks, immediately going white in the face. “Yes?” they both answered immediately.

The class seemed to have settled down after that, because now the silence in the room was deafening and no one dared to move a muscle. All eyes were faced to the front of the class, carefully watching the scene in front of them.

Umbridge did this sort of high pitched, awkward laugh. “Do you have any idea as to who would have done this?”

And suddenly, all the Slytherins breathed a sigh of relief as the Gryffindors all went pale in the face, none more so than Ron. Even Harry couldn’t help the feeling of dread seeping into his core as he willed himself not to turn around and stare at Draco.

Pansy and Draco both seemed to be communicating telepathically, because there was an even longer pause of silence, before Draco said, “no clue” while Pansy answered, “I haven’t the slightest idea”.

The Gryffindors were all looking at the Two Slytherins, probably all wondering why the hell they would be defending them, when the two had clearly heard Ron going on about his brothers’ toy pranks. The Slytherins too, looked a bit skeptical, but didn’t say anything in fear of upsetting Umbridge even more.

Umbridge was starting to turn a weird shade of red. “You two are sitting amongst all these Gryffindors, _surely_ , you heard or noticed _something_ ,”

“Nothing Professor,” Draco said with a shake of his head.

“Sorry Professor. Maybe it was a Ravenclaw from a previous class?” Pansy said. “They’re too smart for their own good.”

Umbridge made a bit of a _humph_ noise, before turning back around and _incendio_ -ing the piece of chalk, before producing a new one. “Alright then! No more funny business. As I was saying, Dark arts is more than just…”

Now the whole class sighed in relief as everyone got out a piece of parchment and began to write down notes. Draco and Pansy shared a look before silently breaking out into a fit of giggles. “You owe me big time.” Pansy said, lightly swatting at Draco’s shoulder.

Draco sighed contently. “You are the best.”

Pansy shrugged. “I know.”

Draco felt eyes on him, and when he turned to look at the board he was blocked by Harry. He was staring at him with this warm smile on his face that just warmed Draco’s heart down to the core. His eyes shone something bright with mischief and gratitude. They stared at one another for what seemed like forever, something unspoken passing between the two again like it had earlier, before Harry bit his bottom lip, blushing a bright red color as he turned back around and continued to jot down notes.

Draco continued to stare at the back of Harry’s head, no doubt probably blushing himself, before Pansy elbowed him in the side.

“Hey!” Draco complained.

“You like him, we get it, now stop staring! You’ll burn a hole in the back of his untidy head.”

Draco blushed even harder, muttering under his breath, before dutifully jotting down notes.

\---

After class, the 5th year Gryffindors were all sitting in the common room, talking in a group. It was just after dinner when they all gathered together, and Ginny had walked over to join in on the conversation, having heard some of the commotion at dinner, but now being able to get the gist of what was going on.

“I still can’t believe Malfoy and Parkinson actually stood up for us!” Dean said.

“I know! I totally thought they would throw us under the bus,” Seamus said.

“I honestly thought we would never see daylight again,” Neville said, with a shiver.  
“Could you imagine the detention she would have given us?”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…” Ron gulped. “I may actually _like_ Malfoy.”

That got the room laughing. Harry was seated next to Hermione on the couch, Ginny on the other side of him, and all he could do was smile at his best friend's statement. “It was quite shocking,” Harry commented.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Surely, you of all people weren’t surprised by it.”

Harry shrugged. “Eh, I kind of hoped he wouldn’t rat us out.” In all honesty, he had known that Draco wouldn’t have done it, based on their heart to heart talks, but still, one had to wonder. It was nice having proof now of their ever-growing…friendship? Was that the word? Because now more than ever it felt like even more than that. No, they weren’t in a romantic relationship, but somehow it felt like they weren’t in that “friend” category anymore.

It confused Harry to no end, and he didn’t want to have to think about it too much, so he didn’t. Instead, he said “Parkinson though. Now _that_ threw me off,”

Hermione shook her head in agreement. “Yes, that was surprising. They are best friends though.”

“But Pansy loves to speak her mind, and she didn’t even insult us!” Ron said. “She blamed it on the Ravenclaws!”

“Who don’t seem too happy about it either,” Ginny chimed in. “Umbridge has been questioning all of them all day. They’re usually pretty close with the Slytherins, but they’ve been sending them ‘looks’ all day,”

Dean shrugged. “A small price to pay.”

Conversations moved on into other things after that, and Harry decided to take that as his cue to leave. He waved a goodbye to Ron and Hermione, before slipping back out the portrait hole.

\---

Harry had forgotten his Marauders Map, but upon arriving at the Room of Requirement, found Draco already standing there, waiting for him. Harry noticed that he had changed from his uniform, into a simple white long sleeve button up shirt and black slacks, his Slytherin tie hanging loosely around his neck.

Harry was having a bit of trouble breathing.

“What took you so long?” Draco asked, opening up the door into the room. “I almost thought you weren’t coming.”

“What? I always make it to our meetings,”

Draco snorted. “We’re not having a meeting, we’re just hanging out,”

Harry stopped in the doorway, his stomach instantly filling with butterflies. “Hanging out?”

Draco sighed dramatically, dropping his school bag onto the nearby desk. “Yes, Potter, that’s what friends do. They get together and hang out. I’m sure you Granger and Weasley have done this together on occasion.”

Harry laughed a bit awkwardly, coming fully into the room now. He didn’t know why, but suddenly the thought of him and Draco hanging out alone together was making his brain a bit fuzzy.

Draco rolled his eyes, seemingly reading Harry’s mind. “Oh, don’t go and make it weird now,”

Harry blushed. “I’m not?”

“Well we can’t hang out together if you’re standing on the other side of the room.”

“Oh! Right,” he said, making his way slowly over to Draco who just gave him a blank stare. “Better?”

“You’re insufferable, Potter.”

\---

The two did homework for a little while, before taking a break and talking about how the rest of their day had went. Besides what had happened earlier in DADA, nothing exciting was happening, and they quickly recapped their day before Draco clapped his hands together.

“So! Let’s move into Occlumency!”

“What? Right now?”

“Yes, Potter, now,”

“But, I don’t have another lesson until next week!”

“Which means now is the perfect time to start!”

“Malfoy—”

“Potter—”

“But I don’t—”

“If you want to learn this skill, then we’re going to start practicing, so come on, let’s go,” Draco didn’t leave any more room for discussion as he got up from his chair and made his way to the middle of the room.

Harry sighed, getting up and following Draco, knowing that he was right. He met Draco in the middle of the room and turned to face him, trying to relax not only his body, but his mind as well, taking deep breaths to try and concentrate.

“You know the drill, clear your mind of all thoughts. Don’t think about anything or anyone. Try to concentrate on nothing else but your breathing.”

Harry nodded his head, trying his best to follow Draco’s instructions. He wasn’t sure if it was working, and he was just about to ask Draco if he was doing anything when he felt that familiar push and suddenly Draco was in his mind.

Memories began to flash by in his mind, of earlier today of them in class and Draco defending them, later on as they talked about it in the common room, earlier to last week when he had been sitting up in the stands, watching the Gryffindor quidditch team practice without him, a sad smile on his face.

Draco pulled out of Harry’s mind then, and Harry staggered back a few steps, before catching himself.

Draco sighed. “That actually wasn’t too bad. You’ve got a bit of a resistance up. Snape is obviously much more well trained than me, but you’ve got a pretty good start.”

Harry smiled. “Really? I can never tell, with Snape, he’s just so…”

Draco nodded. “I know. But I think I can work with this. You're hesitant. You can’t think about blocking me out, you have to just….do it.” Harry gave him a look. “I know, it’s weird, but you have to work with me here. You never know when someone will try to enter into your mind, especially The Dark— _Vol—voldemort_ ,” he said with a slight cringe. “So, you have to be ready to put up a defense, no matter what,”

Harry nodded, more determined this time as he closed his eyes and tried again. Draco, once again, was able to enter into Harry’s mind, but he could tell that Harry was trying to resist him. It was like he had this invisible wall up that just wasn’t strong enough to hold. Draco suspected it was more so from Snape being too hard on him than a lack of trying.  
He figured praise would be the best way to go about this. “It’s getting better,”

“You’re just saying that,” Harry huffed after about the fifth attempt.

“No, I’m being serious. Snape doesn’t give you credit enough, this is a hard skill to learn, the fact that you’re showing resistance at all is a good sign.”

Harry made a disgruntled sound, but he was clearly brightened by the news, as he had a slight smile on his face. “Thanks. Snape only ever yells at me,”

“Sometimes you deserve it,” Draco laughed at Harry’s glare. “Although, I will admit, he is a bit too hard on you.”

“A bit?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “You may be Harry Potter, but you’re still a massive pain in most of our arses. You never get in trouble.”

“I was literally in detention last week because you wouldn’t stop making cat jokes in Transfiguration class!”

Draco snorted. “Yes, and then I got detention to make it up to you. I think we’re even.”

“Whatever,” Harry said, looking down at the ground blushing. “Are we going to try again?”

Draco sighed, trying to cover up for a yawn. “No, I think we’re done. I’ll let your mind heal and we can try again tomorrow.”

Harry smiled. “Sounds good to me. Ready to head back?”

The two gathered their things and walked out of the Room of Requirement. They had just started off down the hall when Harry remembered, “I don’t have my map!”

“Your map?”

“Oh! Yeah, you don’t know, do you? I have this map that lets me track where everyone is in the castle.”

“You _what?!_ ”

Harry gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah, it’s pretty handy.”

“How did you—you know what? Never mind.”

Harry shrugged. “Anyways, I use it to make sure no teachers are on their way, so we stay out of their paths, and I…ugh…” Harry trailed off, blushing madly.

“You what?” Draco pushed, raising an eyebrow.

“I…well I watch it to, you know…make sure you get back to your dorm safe.” he said in a rush.

Draco, eyebrow still raised, smirked. “Aw, Potter cares about me?”

Harry’s blush spread even farther, now going down his neck. “Shut up! I’d just feel bad if you got caught and were landed in detention because of me.”

Draco laughed, and then gave a blush of his own. “Well, you could walk me back to the dungeons. You know, make sure I make it back okay.”

Harry gave Draco a look, and then shrugged. “Okay, lead the way.”

The two walked down the hall, silently at first, but then Draco bumped Harry in the shoulder while rounding the corner, and the two began to laugh quietly to themselves as they began knocking into each other playfully. When they reached the staircases, they were met with that feeling again, like they needed to do or say something in order to carry on.

Draco decided to ignore it, or maybe he decided to embrace it, because he took Harry’s hand in his and began to walk down the descending stairs towards the dungeons. Luckily, Draco couldn’t see Harry’s blush as Draco was trying to cover up his own. Once they made it to the bottom of the stairs, Draco tried to let go of Harry’s hand, assuming that holding it any longer would be awkward, but Harry only held on tighter, squeezing Draco’s hand in his as they continued down the hall.

When they finally made it to the entryway to the Slytherin commons room, Draco turned to look at Harry. “See? No teachers.”

“Mrs. Norris almost spotted us though,”

Draco snorted. “If only you had your invisibility cloak,”

“You know about the invisibility cloak?”

_“You have an invisibility cloak?!”_

“You didn’t know?”

“Dammit, Potter, I was being sarcastic!”

“Oh…”

“I don’t want to know, I don’t want to know—no, shut your mouth, I do not want to know!”

Harry look startled by the outburst, but then just started to laugh. “Alright, another time then. Night, Malfoy,” Harry said, squeezing Draco’s hand one last time, before dropping it and walking off.

Draco watched him go until he rounded a corner and was out of sight. Draco sighed, uttering the password and entering inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have anything to say... but I wrote in this little box anyways ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot continues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eventually I will go back and name all of these chapters. When? Heck if I know ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Hey, aren't you supposed to be reading? Stop reading this! Scroll down already!

“We need to talk,”

Ron looked up from his quidditch magazine to look at Harry, candy bar in hand. “Shoot,”

Ron and Harry sat in their dorm room during their free period. They were supposed to be doing their Divination homework, but Ron had been reading and Harry was…stressing.

He needed to talk to Ron about this, and he simply couldn’t concentrate on his homework. He was worried about how his best friend was going to take this news, and he just hoped that it didn’t make things awkward between them. He loved Ron like a brother and he deserved to know.

Harry took a deep breath, not able to make direct eye contact with the redhead across from him. “I, um…I sort of have a crush…on someone.”

Ron nodded, slowly taking another bite of chocolate. “Okay?”

“Um, it’s a Slytherin…”

Another slow nod and bite of chocolate. _“Okay…”_

“And…it’s a guy…”

Ron fake gasped. _“No…”_

Harry looked up then, clearly surprised. “You know?”

Ron snorted, finishing off his candy. “Do I know, _pfft_ , mate, I’m your best friend, of course I know!”

“Why haven’t you said anything then? I totally expected you to freak out!”

“Because, you were trying to figure it out for yourself, I wasn’t just going to slap it in your face! ‘Oi, Harry, you’ve got a thing for Malfoy, ya gonna ask him out or what?’ How do you think _that_ would have worked out? You would have just denied it anyways.” Harry nodded. “And, believe me, when I figured it out, I did freak out. I ran to Hermione, but she already knew. Anyways, it took me a couple of days for it to wrap around my brain, but once I accepted it, it was pretty obvious.”

“So…so you don’t care then?”

“Don’t care about what?”

“That I…you know?”

“That you what? Like Malfoy? Or like boys?”

“Ew, don’t say it like that!”

Ron laughed. “Okay, that you like _guys_? No, not really. I mean, I’m kind of surprised it’s Malfoy, but…to be honest, we all kind of thought you and Cedric had a thing going on.”

_“What?!”_

“Yeah, we thought it was like top secret or something.”

Harry groaned, flopping back onto his bed. “No, that wasn’t a thing. I mean, he was attractive…”

“See? Not to mention he _did_ ask you to take a bath with him–“

Harry shot up in bed. “He did _not!_ ”

Ron laughed, falling back onto his own bed. “He _implied_ it!”

Harry was terribly red in the face. “He did not! And besides, we both had crushes on Cho at the time, I highly doubt I was the person he wanted to take a bath with!”

“Hey, speaking of…” Ron began, starting to turn red himself. While he was accepting of his friend, this type of subject was a bit awkward for him. “Me and Mione were talking, and I was just curious…”

“What? Spit it out.”

“Well, you like girls, but…you like Malfoy, so…I mean, are you…?”

“What? Gay?”

Ron nodded.

Harry sat and thought for a moment. Was he? He liked Malfoy, and he had just admitted to finding Cedric attractive. But he had also had a crush on Cho. Not to mention he’s found other girls attractive as well, including Ginny, but he figured Ron didn’t need to know that.

“I don’t know. I do have a crush on Malfoy, but…I’ve liked girls before.”

Ron nodded slowly. “So…you like both then?”

Harry seemed to think about it for a bit. “Yeah…yeah, I guess I do.”

Ron seemed to think on it as well, before shrugging. “Okay. But, I just gotta ask. Why Malfoy? Why not Neville or Dean?”

Harry laughed. “Because Neville is straight and has a crush on Ginny, and Dean has a huge crush on Seamus.”

“Wait, _what?_ ”

“Ron, just because Neville has a crush on your sister—”

“Dean likes _Seamus?!_ ”

“—Michael Corner wasn’t _that_ —wait, you didn’t know that?”

_“No!”_

Harry was laughing again. “Please tell me you know Lavender and Parvati…?”

Ron looked like he was about to pass out. Harry couldn’t stop laughing.

\---

“What do you and Malfoy do in that room all day, anyways?” Hermione asked, looking up from her book. The trio sat under their usual tree out in the courtyard. It was a particularly nice day, so the three Gryffindors decided to take advantage of it.

Harry looked up, a bit startled. “What are you talking about?”

Ron blushed madly. “Why do you want to know?”

“Not like that!” Hermione rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated. “You and Malfoy go to the Room of Requirement every day, sometimes even twice a day! What do you two do in there? I mean you can’t be doing homework _all_ the time!”

Ron snorted. “Did she really just say that?”

Hermione glared. “Even I don’t spend every waking moment doing homework,” she said.

Harry meanwhile was blushing a bright red. “We don’t do anything. We mostly just study, but we also talk to each other, or occasionally play chess,”

Ron made a face, Hermione seemed unconvinced. “There’s got to be more to it,”

Harry shrugged, not sure why he didn’t just want to tell them the truth. “I train him in DA, he tutors me in potions. What more is there to say?”

“Okay, and what about Occlumency? Shouldn’t you be practicing _that_?”

Harry gave a her a slight grin. “I _have_ been practicing, there’s nothing to worry about,” Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Honestly, I am! I know I’m always complaining about it, and I know you’re going to lecture me about going to see Dumbledore, but I _am_ trying to improve,” and then for good measure he added. “I’ve finally found some inspiration,”

Ron looked highly confused, but something seemed to click for Hermione. Harry always thought it weird how she was always able to pick up on little things like that. He wondered if she’d learn that trick from the Headmaster himself.

“So, you’re okay then?” she asked.

Harry nodded. “Perfectly fine,”

\---

“Okay, let’s go again!”

“Draco, please—”

“Nope! No buts, let’s go!”

“We’ve been going for _hours!_ ”

“It’s been thirty minutes, Potter,”

“Thirty minutes too long! Come on Malfoy, give me some slack!”

“And now you know how it felt when I was trying to cast a Patronus, now come on! Back to work!”

“Have you been practicing that, by the way?”

Draco casted a quick Patronus Charm, and out came a wispy looking Dragon. It was a lot stronger of an image than it had been the first time he attempted it, but it still needed some work before it was a solid charm. “Yes, I’ve been practicing, can we do this now?”

Harry grumbled something under his breath, but nodded, getting into position. Occlumency lessons with Draco were a lot better than the ones with Snape. He had one with him tomorrow, so Harry had begged Draco to teach him some more tonight as they wouldn’t have time tomorrow.

Draco tried entering into Harry’s mind and it was actually a bit of a push this time. His invisible wall was growing stronger, probably from the more frequent practice and just purely from the fact that Draco was a much better teacher. And while Draco was still able to break through the barrier, the images that he saw of Harry’s memories were distorted and kind of hard to sort through.

He was getting better, and Draco was immensely proud of the fact.

“I think that was the best attempt yet,” Draco praised.

Harry blushed. “Really? It kind of feels the same every time to me. Like I’m being submerged in water every time you enter inside.”

“Yes, that’s normal, but I can’t really see your memories as vividly as you can see them.”

Harry smiled. “Can we go again?”

Draco nodded. “I want to try something different though. I want to do it when your guard is down.”

Harry frowned. “Why?”

“Because, you have to be ready at any moment to shut down. Vold—Voldemort could attempt to access your mind at any given moment, and you need to be ready for it. And not only him, but Snape, another death eater, hell, maybe even Dumbledore.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Of course not, that’s why I’m here.”

Harry laughed. “What would I do without you?”

“Probably die, you can’t even remember a simple repairing spell. How many times have you broken your glasses this past week?”

Harry actually paused to think about it, counting on the tips of his fingers. “I don’t know, three times, maybe?”

“Five, and they’re cracked right now,”

“What?” he whipped off his glasses and squinted hard, realizing he can’t see the crack because his glasses were gone.

He felt like an idiot.

Draco laughed. “Did you forget your blind?”

“Shut up!” he snapped, glaring at Draco, but it was playful and there was no venom in the command.

Draco, however, wasn’t laughing anymore. Harry’s eyes were such a bright emerald green, and up until this point, he’d never seen Harry without his glasses on. They were so deep and filled with emotion. He felt lost in them, and they weren’t even standing close to each other.

It reminded him of why his favorite color is green.

“Occulus Repario!” he said, never taking his eyes off of Harry as he aimed his wand at his glasses.

The glasses repaired themselves, and Harry slowly brought them up to his face so that he could inspect them. “Thanks, I don’t know how they keep breaking….Draco?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you staring at me?”

“What? Oh! Uh, no reason?”

Harry cocked his head to the side. “Something on my face?”

“Hmm? No, no, you’re fine,”

Harry stared for a moment before shrugging. “Okay, so what now?”

“We wait,”

“For?”

“For you to be caught off guard.”

“What?”  
“Oh, you forgot what we were doing, didn’t you?”

“What, fixing my glasses?”

Draco laughed, and then before Harry could think about it—which was the point—Draco entered inside of his mind.

Harry gasped, stumbling back a bit, trying to put up a shield, but it was too late, Draco was already there in his mind, and Harry couldn’t fight it off.

Since Harry had been caught off guard, not only had it been easy to enter inside his mind, but the memories weren’t cloudy either. He could clearly see Harry and Ron pranking Umbridge in her office earlier that day, he could see Harry and Luna studying at the library yesterday, he saw Harry and Neville sneaking down to the kitchens in the middle of the night last week, and then…

_“I think he likes Pansy,”_

_Hermione nodded. “She’s…appealing, I suppose,”_

_Harry snorted. “You were right. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up,”_

_“Harry–”_

_“No, it’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting it, you know? One minute, he’s this annoying, self-entitled, Slytherin prat, and the next he’s…Hermione he’s so…God, I can’t even describe it! He’s not nice, he’s not sweet or charming, or whatever you want to call it. But he’s…Draco. I don’t know what it is. When everyone is around, he’s just Malfoy. But with me…he’s just Draco. And now that I’ve met him, it’s like I don’t ever want to go back. Does that even make any sense?”_

_Hermione laughed, shaking her head. “Not in the slightest bit. He’s not two different people, Harry,”_

_“But that’s the thing, isn’t it? That’s what’s so complicating. It’s like when I’m with him, I almost forget he’s a snarky bastard. He’s actually really funny. He’s just…everything Hermione, I don’t know.”_

_“Well, I have to admit, he is a step up from Cho.”_

_Harry rolled his eyes. “Don’t remind me. I just wish he liked me back.”_

Draco blinked and the connection was lost. Once Harry realized Draco was out of his mind, he blinked a couple of times, staring at the blond, until what they had both just saw sunk into his head.

Draco knows. Draco _knows!_ Harry was starting to panic, while Draco felt over the moon. _He likes me? He likes me!_ However, both boys were frozen in place, unable to move a muscle. But then Draco finally spoke.

“Harry, I—”

And that was all it took. Harry’s eyes widened in fear, and before Draco could finish his thought, he turned and ran out of the room.

“Harry I—no, _wait!_ ” Draco said, running after the Gryffindor. He followed him out the Room of Requirement, down the hall, and around the corner, but Harry was gone out of sight.

Draco sighed, sagging against the brick wall there. He closed his eyes and cursed his luck. It was probably his damn invisibility cloak. Draco was at a loss. Just when he thought he could have what he wanted, it ran away. Draco couldn’t help the tear that slide down his cheek as he quickly wiped it away. “I do like you back, you stupid Gryffindor prat!” he yelled to no one in particular as he kicked the wall opposite him and made his way back to the dungeons.

\---

Meanwhile, Harry ran out of the room as fast as he could, ignoring Draco’s calls behind him as he ran without stopping all the way back to the Gryffindor common room. When he made it there, bursting through the portrait hole, he was met by Ron and Hermione sitting by the fireplace.

“He knows! He knows!” was all he could wheeze out.

Ron and Hermione both shared a look before asking, “Who knows what?”

“Malfoy! Draco! He knows!”

Ron was still confused, but Hermione got it instantly, standing up and running over towards Harry. “And? What he say?”

Harry shook his head. “I don’t know, I don’t know! I didn’t ask him.”

“You didn’t ask him? Then how do you know he knows?” Hermione asked.

“Occlumency,” was all Harry could get out.

Realization dawned on Hermione as she lead Harry to sit down on the couch beside her. Ron was still lost. “Who knows what now? And whose teaching you Occlumency? What did Snape find out about?”

Harry gave a squeak that was meant to be a laugh. Hermione shook her head. “Draco knows that Harry likes him because he used Occlumency on him.”

“Oh…wait, since when is Draco teaching you Occlumency?”

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake Ronald!” Hermione said, turning her attention back to Harry. “So, what happened then?”

Harry told them how they had been practicing, and while they had been taking a break and joking around, Draco had entered into his mind without him knowing. After that, he couldn’t control his thoughts and all of a sudden, he saw him and Hermione talking in front of the fireplace a month or so ago.

By the end of his speech, Hermione looked just as crushed as Harry, and Ron looked…less confused.

“So, what did he say, mate?” Ron asked.

Harry shook his head. “I left before he could say anything.”

“Harry!” Hermione scolded. “Why would you do that?!”

“I didn’t want it to be awkward! And what if he made fun of me?”

Hermione groaned. “Harry, he’s your friend, he wouldn’t make fun of you! In fact, he may well _like you!_ ” she yelled, hitting him in the arm with her book.

“Oi! Hermione!”

“She’s got a point, mate,” Ron pointed out. “Maybe you should have stuck around,”

Harry’s head was spinning. In his state of panic, the thought of Draco actually liking him back hadn’t actually occurred to him. “He could, but what if he doesn’t?”

“Then so what? It’s his loss.” Hermione said.

“Yeah, mate, you’d find somebody else.”

But Harry didn’t want anybody else.

\---

“…and I couldn’t even tell him I liked him back before he bolted out the room!” Draco complained.

Pansy snorted. “And he calls himself a Gryffindor.”

“I know! Like, hello, Potter, I’ve had a crush on you since the first day we met! Has it _not_ been obvious?”

Blaise rolled his eyes. “Believe me, we’ve all caught on by now.”

“Pfft, not Potter, apparently,” Pansy commented. “Saviour of the Wizarding World can’t tell when another human being has a crush on him.”

“I tried to track him down, but he was gone. He’s probably going to avoid seeing me for the next week now like he did last time.” Draco said, sighing in resignation.

Pansy smiled wickedly at her best friend. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know I had to leave it on a cliffhanger, I mean is it _really_ a drarry story if there's no cliffhanger? Besides, we all know where this is going, I mean, you've all read the tags, just hang in there.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moment everyone has been waiting for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't forget about you guys *sweats nervously*

“I need your help,”

Hermione was surprised when Pansy strolled up next to her on her way to Ancient Ruins the following day. She’d been dealing with a moping Harry Potter all day, and was caught off guard. She arched a brow. “With?”

Pansy rolled her eyes. “You _are_ aware with our current Draco and Potter situation, aren’t you?”

Hermione sighed. “Don’t even get me started. What do you need?”

Pansy smiled wickedly.

\---

“I don’t want to go,” Harry complained the following night.

“You have to!” Hermione persisted, practically dragging Harry down the hallway, towards the Potions classroom.

Her and Pansy spent all day yesterday planning before deciding the best way to get Draco and Harry to talk would be to trap them in a room together. Snape was their best bet as any other teacher wanting to see Harry this late after dinner didn’t make much sense. They just hoped Snape was in his office and not in the classroom.

“You’re already on Snape’s bad side, do you want to get into even more trouble with him?”

“But, I saw him yesterday during our Occlumency lesson, why wouldn’t he just have mentioned it then?”

“Harry, I don’t know, but as a Prefect he sent me to get you, so just go already!” and with that, she shoved Harry into the room, and closed the door behind him.

“Hermione! Wait, he’s not even in here!”

“He will be, just hang in there!”

\---

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Draco asked Pansy nervously.

“Of course, Darling, don’t all my plans?”

Hermione and Draco both shared a look before turning back to Pansy.

She huffed. “Oh, whatever, just go get your lover boy!”

“But, he’s already started avoiding me for the past two days, and yesterday we were supposed to talk about his Occlumency lesson with Snape, and he wouldn’t even look my way during dinner! I’m going to walk in there and he’s not going to want to listen to what I have to say.”

Pansy and Hermione both shared a look. “Then show him.”

\---

Draco slowly opened the door to see Harry facing the other wall. Taking a deep breath, he entered all the way inside, closing the door behind him. Harry turned around, mouth open about to say something, when he realized just who was standing there. He immediately went red in the face, his lips mouthing wordlessly.

Draco, also slightly blushing, took a step closer. “Can we talk?” Harry abruptly closed his mouth and shook his head no. Draco took another step closer. “Please?”

Harry shook his head again, this time turning back around. “There’s nothing to say,” and then he added “I’m going to kill Hermione.” While crossing his arms against his chest protectively.

“I think you’re wrong,” Draco said. “We need to talk,”

“What’s there to talk about?” Harry spat angrily, causing Draco to flinch. “We both know what you saw.”

“Which is why we need to talk!”

“Why? So, you can make fun of me?”

Draco looked hurt. “No, Harry, so that we can fix this!”

“There’s nothing to fix!” Harry said, finally looking up at Draco.

Draco sighed, taking a couple of steps closer to Harry, contemplating whether or not to place a hand on his shoulder “You can tell me anything,”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to talk. Besides, there’s nothing to tell,” Harry said, a bit more aggressively.

Draco decided to go for it, reaching his hand out and squeezing the back of Harry’s shoulder. “Look at me, Harry,”

Harry shook his head, his body starting to tremble.

Draco squeezed Harry’s shoulder even tighter in a reassuring way. “Please?”

Harry hesitated, but then he slowly started to turn around, bright green eyes staring into bright grey ones. “Happy?”

Draco gave a slight nod. “Very,”

Harry sniffed. “So, what do you want?”

_To kiss you._ “I want you to read my mind,”

Harry’s eyes widened as he took a step back. “You—what?”

The two stared silently at one another for a long stretch, before finally Draco said, in almost a whisper. “Read my mind.”

“Draco—”

“Please? You don’t want to talk to me, so at least let me show you what I’m thinking.”

Harry thought about it for a moment, still highly unsure. Yeah, he had done it once before, but it had been an accident! Snape was an annoying prat, and Harry had been so tired and _angry_. It sort of just happened. But Draco looked desperate, so Harry reluctantly closed his eyes and gave it try.

He couldn’t tell if it was working, so he muttered _Legilimens_ and immediately felt a sudden pull towards Draco.

It was like he had been teleported; one moment he was standing in the Potions classroom, and the next he was standing in the middle of the Great Hall.

_As he looked around, he found himself sitting at the Gryffindor table, clapping and cheering along with everyone else. It took him a moment to realize that the Harry sitting there wasn’t a fifth year, but a small first year. He turned his head towards the front of the Hall, and Dumbledore was clapping too, and Harry watched as the flags above the tables turned from Slytherin green to Gryffindor red._

_His house had just own the house cup._

_A quick glance to his right, and there was first year Draco, begrudgingly clapping along with everyone else. He didn’t seem too happy at all in this memory._

_So then, why was he being shown it? He was very confused, not sure what it was he should be looking for, until he noticed something._

_Draco was smiling._

_Well, it was really faint, the corner of his mouth upturned into a bit of a smirk, like he was trying to suppress it. Harry followed his line of eyesight, and was once again staring at his younger self. First year Harry was smiling brightly, high fiving his fellow Gryffindors. He remembered that feeling of pure happiness and belonging, and it brought a bright smile to his own face. It made him forget he was even viewing a memory._

But then just as soon as it started, he was yanked back into the present. When the connection ended, Harry was left staring blankly at a nervous looking Draco.

“Why did you show me that memory?”

Draco blushed, looking down at the ground. “It’s what I thought about the first time I casted my Patronus.”

Harry frowned. “I thought you said you thought of—“

“I lied. I’m a Slytherin, we tend to do that a lot.”

“But then—why did you think of me winning the house cup first year? That couldn’t have been a happy memory.”

Draco smiled, looking up and finally meeting Harry’s eyes. “Not for me, no. But, it’s the happiest I had ever seen you.”

Harry was still confused. “But...I don’t—”

“Harry!” Draco said, laughing now, as he started moving even closer to the raven-haired boy. “Don’t you get it?”

Harry shook his head slowly. “No?”

And Draco laughed again, grabbing Harry by his shoulders and pulling him closer.

Harry was a bit startled at first, but leaned into the touch, embracing Draco around his torso, while Draco wrapped his arms around Harry’s neck. “I _like_ you, you great Gryffindor prat.” Draco said, looking up into slightly terrified green eyes.

“Oh. _Oh…_ ”

Draco shook his head, rolling his eyes at just how oblivious the boy before him was. “If you hadn’t of ran off on me the other day, I would have told you.” Draco scolded playfully, pressing his forehead against Harry’s.

“God, I really am an idiot.” Harry said blushing, but wearing a huge smile.

“You can always make it up to me,” Draco said, with a sly smirk.

Harry bit his lip. “What do you want?”

Draco sighed, breathing in the magnificent scent that could only be described as Harry. “I’m sure you’ll figure something it.

Harry laughed, somehow pulling Draco even closer. “I’m sure I can manage something.” Harry’s eyes sparkled with mischief, and being so close, staring directly into them, was mesmerizing. This was a feeling Draco had only ever dreamed about, and now it was happening, it was _real_. He felt dizzy and overcome with emotion. His smile, his laugh, his eyes, it was sending Draco into overdrive, and all he could think of was more more _more._

And then Harry was kissing him.

It was soft, _so soft_ , Harry’s lips just barely grazing against Draco’s. “This okay?” he whispered against his lips.

Draco nodded, threading a hand through Harry’s dark, messy, _incredibly soft_ , hair, pulling him even closer. “More than,” he whispered back before pressing his lips more firmly to Harry’s.

This kiss was soft, yet intense. It held everything that they wanted to say and everything they couldn’t. It was an apology, it held forgiveness, it was slow and nervous, yet sloppy and eager. Harry had never kissed Cho like this, Draco had never kissed anyone like this.

When they pulled back for some much needed air, they were all smiles and tiny giggles. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” Draco said against warm, wet lips.

Harry gave him a light peck. “Me too. Come on, let’s go before our friends break down the door,”

\---

When the two emerged from the room, hand in hand, Pansy and Hermione didn’t say anything, they just sighed, leading the way back to their respective dorms with the two boys trailing behind them.

“So, does this make you my boyfriend?” Harry asked, playfully nudging Draco’s shoulder.

Draco snorted. “I’d better be, after snogging me like that,”

“I didn’t _snog_ you,”

Draco smiled, faintly running the tip of his finger against his bottom lip. “I remember it quite differently, Potter.”

“Oh, whatever, Malfoy,” Harry teased, bumping his shoulder again.

The group eventually made it to the staircases where they were to split off. Hermione and Pansy said their goodbyes, before going separate ways, leaving the boys alone one last time.

That feeling had arisen again, of feeling like there was something in the air holding them in place. Both smiled, now knowing what it was they were feeling. Harry stepped closer, pulling Draco into a hug, before giving him one last lingering kiss. “I’ll see you at breakfast, yeah?”

Draco nodded, opting for another kiss instead of words. A cough from the top of the stairs, or perhaps the bottom, told them that the two girls were getting impatient, and so the two boys reluctantly pulled away, heading their separate ways. “Night, Malfoy,” Potter said, as he made his way up the staircase.

“Night, Potter,” Draco replied.

And then they were both out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will see you tomorrow for another chapter (I promise, please don't hurt me)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quidditch!! :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like this chapter too :)

Three Gryffindors sat in the common room in front of the fireplace. Hermione sat in her favorite plush arm chair, one hand holding her book as she read, the other petting Crookshanks, who lay seemingly asleep in her lap. Ron was laid out on the rug in front of the fireplace, trying to get some warmth as he fiddled with one of the many toys his twin brothers had come up with. And Harry sat back on the couch, reading through a quidditch magazine, only he kept rereading the same paragraph over and over again, without really taking anything in.

The past week for Harry has been better than he could have ever expected. His Occlumency lesson with Snape had actually been pretty decent. Snape had been surprised to find Harry was actually resisting his pull. Of course, he was still able to break through, but Harry was happy to know his extra efforts weren’t going unnoticed. On top of that, his Potions work was finally caught up with the class, and Snape had no choice—thanks to McGonagall—but to let him back on the Quidditch team, and his first match back in the season was against Slytherin. Not necessarily an easy win, but Harry had been going to all the practices and was sure they’d be prepared for the game Saturday.

Classes were going great, Quidditch was back in his daily routine, he had the most amazing friends, and a pretty great boyfriend at that. _A boyfriend_. Draco _fucking_ Malfoy was his _boyfriend!_ It was really weird, new and exciting, yet nothing was really different.

Well, besides the kissing part, nothing was really different.

They still had their little arguments, they still passed notes in class, they bumped shoulders in the hallway and they were still making cat jokes about McGonagall. And every day after class, they still attended their normal study time in the Room of Requirement. Now, however, instead of taking breaks for food, their breaks now mostly consisted of sitting on the couch and snogging.

_Draco usually pulls away first. “We need to study,” he’ll whisper breathlessly against Harry’s swollen lips._

_“We will,” Harry will say, pulling Draco’s head back in for another kiss. “Just not right now,”_

_After several more moments of kissing, Draco will say, “I knew us dating would be a bad idea,” and he’ll playfully swat at Harry’s shoulder._

_In return, Harry will pinch Draco’s arm. “Prat. You’ve never been happier since we started dating,”_

_“It’s been three days, I hardly find that enough evidence to go off of that statement,”_

_“Are you happy?”_

_“Yes,”_

_“More so than usual?”_

_“Eh, I say it’s about the same,”_

_“Draco!”_

_“What?” he says innocently laughing. “I’m only kidding!”_

_“You are such a git,” Harry whines._

_“And you’re a prat, now stop complaining and kiss me!”_

_“I thought we needed to study,”_

_“I said less complaining, Potter, Merlin, you’re an idiot sometimes,”_

_Harry smiles widely. “But I’m your idiot,”_

_“Yes, and if you don’t kiss me, you’re going to be a single idiot!”_

“Earth to Harry!”

Hermione’s shout finally breaks through, and Harry nearly jumped off the couch. “What? Yes?”

Hermione only rolls her eyes. “Ron was asking you a question,” she says, nodding her head towards Ron, not even once lifting her head up from her book. Harry looks over to see Ron fiddling with the toy in his hands that has begun to shoot out red and gold sparks.

“What are you doing?”

Ron looks up, a wide smile on his face. “It’s a firework bomb of some sort. We should test it out!”

“The last time we pranked Umbridge, she lost her eyebrows and she wouldn’t stop interrogating us. She threatened to give everyone a detention. Everyone! Even the first years! Even the _first year Hufflepuffs!_ You gotta slow down,” Harry said, trying to be serious, but rolling over with laughter towards the end.

Ron, too, was shaking with laughter. “She’s onto us. She was on the Ravenclaws for a while now, but the Slytherins are on her side and the Hufflepuffs are too nice for any of the pranks we’ve been pulling. We need code names or something,”

“Yeah, because that’ll make it less obvious,” Hermione said with an eye roll, finally closing her book. “You know we can’t continue to do these pranks! Especially you Ronald, you’re a Prefect!”

“Pfft, so were Bill and Charlie! Let me live a little, yeah?”

“You are insufferable! You too, Harry!” she said when she noticed the raven-haired boy still laughing.

“Sorry,” Harry said after collecting himself. “Honestly though, code names don’t sound like a bad idea.”

“Right? Thank you!”

“Code names?” Neville said, entering through the portrait hole. “Sounds cool, who's who?”

“Neville? Where have you been?” Hermione asked, casting a tempus. “It’s nearly midnight!”

Neville blushed, sitting down and joining the group, emptying out his school bag. “Was doing some late-night studying, so I snuck out and went down to the kitchens,”

“Oh man, do I love you!” Ron claimed, as he dug right into Neville’s pile.

“Manners?” Hermione tsked.

Neville waved a hand. “It’s fine, I’ve got plenty.”

“We’re getting code names,” Ron answered around a mouthful of cherry pie. “You can be…hmm…” Ron sat and thought for a moment. “This is harder than I thought,”

“Well, it can’t be obvious,” Harry stated. “Like, it can’t be lion or Griffin. It has to be unique, that could apply to multiple different people.”

“Or so obvious that no one would suspect us,” Hermione chimed in. The three boys stared at her in shock and excitement. “What?”

“You. Are. Brilliant!” Ron said, gazing at Hermione as if seeing her for the first time.

Hermione blushed madly, turning away. “Oh, it’s nothing really.”

Neville chuckled. “Wish I was that charming,”

And then something clicked. “Charming. Prince Charming. That’s your code name!”

Neville beamed. “I like it,”

“Who else?” Ron said, beaming excitedly. “Ooh, ooh, I want some kind of majestic animal!”

“Unicorn?” Hermione gave with a laugh.

Ron shuddered, and Harry cringed. “No,” they both answered.

Neville, chewing on some licorice piped up. “Hey, have you guys heard? The Ravenclaws are apparently planning something. I don’t know exactly what, but after being blamed for those pranks a week or so ago, I think they’re trying to join forces with another house.” Neville said. “Ginny and Luna were talking about it the other day.”

“Those Ravenclaws are clever…maybe Umbridge will blame them after all!” Ron chimed in.

Hermione snorted. “Not likely. They’re way too smart to get caught, not on accident at least.”

“You ever wonder why their animal is an Eagle?”

All heads turned towards Neville.

“What? It’s just curious, isn’t it? _Raven_ claw, not _Eagle_ claw. Why not a raven?”

They continued to stare.

Neville shrugged, starting to blush from all of the attention. “Luna thought it was a legitimate question,” he muttered.

“Eagle… _hey_ , that’s a good code name! Eagle!”

Harry frowned. “We were talking about Ravens…”

“…and it’s so obvious!” Ron continued. “Oh, you could be Raven. I mean, you’ve got the hair and everything…all dark and…mysterious…”

Harry arched an eyebrow. “I’m dark and mysterious?”

“You do have _Who-Know-who_ after you, mate,” Ron answered with a shrug.

Harry sniffed. “And what if _I_ want to be Eagle?”

“What? No way! I came up with it first!”

“ _Actually_ , I did,” Neville said.

“So? It’s way better than Raven!”

“What’s wrong with Raven’s?”

“So you’ll be Raven?”

“I just said I’m the Eagle!”

Hermione and Neville both shared a look before rolling their eyes and laughing. “I swear it’s like their Thing One and Thing Two!” she muttered.

Both boys paused in mid-argument. “Eagle one and Eagle Two!”

Hermione and Neville shared another look before groaning. “Figures,” they both said.

“Oh, Malfoy needs a code name,” Ron said. “Ya know, since he’s a part of the group now,”

Harry got that sappy smile on his face again. “Yeah,” but then he got serious, thinking for a few moments. “He needs something serious, but not too over the top.”

“If we’re all picking our own names, maybe he should pick it,” Hermione said.

“Seems fair,” Harry concluded with a yawn. “We should sleep, we’ve got that test in Charms tomorrow,”

“Not really a _test_ ,” Ron said, standing and stretching. “More of a…pop quiz.”

“It’s not a pop quiz if we know about it,” Hermione said, standing as well, cradling Crookshanks in her arms. “No matter, we should still get some rest.”

The three boys said goodnight to Hermione, before making their way back up to their dorm for the night.

\---

The rest of the week flew by in a flash, and before long it was finally Saturday. Harry was nervous for a lot of different reasons. The first being it was his first game back from having not played in over a month. The season was halfway over, and while Gryffindor was currently in the lead, having won their last game against Ravenclaw, he was still worried about whether or not he’d do well. He was worried that somehow, someway, he’d find himself either back off the team, in the hospital wing, or both, and he was not prepared for either of those possibilities.

And lastly, he was nervous because of Draco.

They were dating now, and that by no means meant that they were going to go easy on each other. In fact, if anything, they had been more competitive than ever against each other this entire week. Harry was excited, but nervous, and he was here to make a point. No one, except for their close friends knew that they were a thing, and today, he was going to change that. He knew that if he won his first game back on the field, he wanted to celebrate it in the right way. He was going to show everybody that he still had it in him and was going to finish out the season strong. But most importantly, he was going to show them that Draco was his, and he was still here to win. That this didn’t mean that Draco or himself got special treatment, but that they were a team and knew how to separate personal life and quidditch life.

He also knew that if today, on the field during his first game back, he caught the snitch, and put Gryffindor that much closer to the quidditch cup, he was going to snog the living daylights out of his boyfriend.

With that thought in mind, he walked out onto the field with the rest of his teammates and prepared to fly. As usual, Madam Hooch came out and gave them the rundown, before Angelica and the Slytherin Captain shook hands and they were off on their brooms. Pretty quickly the game became intense, as it was Gryffindor vs Slytherin, and Slytherin had already made their first goal within the first five minutes.

Harry groaned, surveying the game from below as he hovered high up in the air, not too high where he wouldn’t be of any use, but high enough where he was out of the way of the main players while still able to see all of the action going on.

It was a clear day, no clouds, which meant no chance of rain, and Harry was grateful. It was, however, kind of chilly out, and the winds were whipping his hair in front of his face a lot, which made it just a tad bit hard to see at times.

“If I were you Potter, I’d try to keep up!” Malfoy shouted as he hovered his broom next to Harry’s. “You’ll want to be front and center when I catch the snitch!”

“In your dreams, Malfoy!” Harry shouted back over the wind. “What do I get when I win, hmm?”

Malfoy snorted. “I’ll do your potions homework for a week. Now what about when _I_ win?”

Harry laughed. “If you win, I’ll tell the whole school that Harry Potter is a fraud and that I still sleep with a blankie,”

Malfoy let out a loud, deep belly laugh. “You’re so on!”

Harry began to laugh, when he saw something gold flitter by, and decided to go with his instinct and fell straight into a dive. Malfoy was caught off guard for only a moment, and then he was hot on Harry’s tail. “Nice try, Potter, but the snitch is mine!”

Harry didn’t know why, but he liked their banter. He liked it when Draco called him Potter during their “games”. It was…it was something, Harry couldn’t quite place the feeling yet. He’d have to think back on that when he wasn’t focusing on catching the snitch.

Only, it hadn’t been the snitch, but somebody’s gold jewelry, shining a reflection that had caught their eyes. Harry groaned and Malfoy snickered beside him. “Nice try, Potter, but you’ll have to work harder than that!” and then he had the audacity to wink, before circling back around to his side of the pitch.

Harry didn’t know whether to punch him or kiss him. Although, honestly, it’s kind of crazy to think that kissing him is actually an option now, but again, Harry pushed that thought aside for later inspection.

The game carried on, both Slytherin and Gryffindor making a few scores. Harry thought he saw the snitch a couple of times, but most times he was just trying to get Malfoy off his tail. Then Malfoy did a fake dive, trying to distract Harry, but they ended up crashing into each other, ending them in a timeout.

“Watch where you’re going, Potter!” Malfoy sneered, but it was all in good fun.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Stop trying to show off!” he said, with a smirk.

Malfoy winked. “Not my fault I’ve got all this talent in my veins.”

Harry snorted. “Yeah, right. You’re such a drama queen,”

“I’m going to make you eat those words when I win, Potter!”

Soon, they were up in the air again, and things quickly grew heated once again. Slytherin had somehow obtained the lead, and Harry needed to catch the snitch now, or else Draco could win this for his team. Harry was calm yet frantic, whipping his head around in search of a round gold ball. He just prayed he saw it first.

And then it happened.

A flash of gold, a tiny sliver, it was so quick, Harry almost thought it was the sun causing a glare on his glasses. The snitch flew by and was heading in the opposite direction. A quick glance towards Malfoy showed him on the other side of the pitch, dodging a bludger as he tried to signal to one of the chasers to go left.

_He wasn’t even looking!_

Harry quickly turned his broom around, searching out the snitch, until he spotted it down below some ways. He trailed after it, waiting for the right moment to go for the dive. It was still hovering around, not visible to anyone else but him. A few could tell that he had eyes on it, and they waited in suspended anticipation.

And then Gryffindor scored another ten points, and Draco looked up just in time to see not only the snitch, but Harry floating just a couple hundred feet ahead of it. _Now_ , Harry thought as he went into a steep dive. Within a matter of moments, Malfoy was right there by his side, both of their arms reached out, grazing one another as the snitch neared closer and closer.

Harry closed his eyes, willing his hand to just graze the golden ball, when—

“And Potter catches the snitch! Gryffindor wins!”

The stands were wild with cheers, not so much from the Slytherins, but everyone else was standing and stomping their feet in victory. Harry opened his eyes to see he was hovering above the ground, arm raised in the air as he shouted in victory. Malfoy flew up on his broom above him, an eyebrow raised, but a smirk of his own on his lips.

Harry smiled at him, as he flew up to where he was in the center of the pitch. “Whose words am I eating again, Malfoy?”

“Shut up, Potter.”

“ _Who's_ doing my Potions homework for a week?”

“I said _shut up!_ ”

Harry laughed, reaching the arm out that wasn’t holding the snitch, and wrapping it around Draco’s torso, bringing him and his broom closer towards him. Draco, along with the still full crowd gasped, but Draco was the only thing Harry was focused on.

“Harry?”

“I know you didn’t win, but I’ve got a consolation prize for you,”

Draco was blushing, and the stands were quiet. Nobody knew what was happening, not even Ron or Hermione, who stood and watched along with the others. They couldn’t hear their conversation, but it was obvious nobody wanted to miss what was going to happen.

“Trying to rub it in, Potter?” Draco sneered, but his eyes were gleaming with wonder and excitement.

Harry shrugged. “I simply want to give you something worth your time and effort. After all, that was a pretty intense game,”

“Going to make it up to me for cheating?” Draco teased.

Harry pinched Draco’s side. “I didn’t cheat!”

“How do I know that?”

“You’re such a prat!”

“But I’m your prat,” Draco said, smiling softly.

Harry smiled, pulling Draco even closer. “I know. Go on a date with me?”

Draco blushed. “Harry, what are you doing?”

“Asking you out,”

“But we’re already dating!”

“They don’t know that,” Harry said, nodding his head towards the crowd. Draco looked around, and his blush grew deeper as he realized that they had an audience.

“Harry, I—”

“Ssh, look at me, they aren’t important,” Harry said, coaxing Draco to look at him again. When he did, he was met with deep, grey eyes, almost a light blue color, and Harry felt like he could get lost in them. “Go out with me. We can go to Hogsmeade and I’ll buy you all the licorice wands and butterbeer you could ever want.”

Draco gave him a small laugh. “Is that my consolation prize then?”

Harry nodded, placing their foreheads together, causing another gasp to erupt from the stands. “Yup, but I’ll make you an even better deal. Whenever I win, I’ll take out, and whenever you win, I’ll still take you out.”

Draco smiled lopsidedly. “And if we both end up losing?”

Harry laughed. “Then I guess we’re both screwed,”

Draco laughed, cupping Harry’s head between both of his hands. “Harry?”

“Hmm?”

“Kiss me,”

And then they were, Harry kissing Draco like his life depended on it, and Draco kissing Harry back as if he couldn’t get enough of him. It wasn’t soft and gentle, it was hard and their teeth clashed together, but it was perfect, it was _them_. And when they pulled away, the crowd was cheering. Draco was blushing, but Harry still wore a huge smile on his face.

“Now everyone knows you're mine,”

Draco’s blush deepened, and he pulled Harry in for another kiss. “I didn’t know you wanted everyone to know.”

“Why’s that?”

Draco shrugged. “You’ve got a whole bunch of other stuff going on, I didn’t want to be thrown into the mix,”

Harry shook his head. “Nonsense. You already are a part of it, and I want you next to me the whole way through,”

Draco gave a nervous laugh. “You sure you want me here? Things could get complicated. From this moment on, there’s no going back,”

Harry nodded his head, looking straight into Malfoy’s eyes, a very serious look on his face. “I know the road ahead will be rough, but we’ll make it through. From this moment on, I’m all yours. I don’t ever want to go back to the way things were,” then Harry gave Draco a huge grin. “You’re stuck with me until the end.”

Draco’s smile was bright and buoyant. “Always?”

Harry squeezed Draco tight. “Always,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote the “always” part on purpose, it wasn’t until I went back and edited this that I realized I unintentionally wrote “until the end”, and if that isn’t fate, then I don’t know what is


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Communication is key

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next couple of chapters will dive further into the plot, so get ready for some feels

After the game was over and both Draco and Harry had both landed back on the ground safely, the two walked back to the castle hand in hand. Some people stared—well, actually, a _lot_ of people stared—but the two were happy and content.

“Not saying I’m a better player than you, but did you _see_ that awesome dive?” Harry gushed. “I mean, it was amazing! It _felt_ amazing!”

“Yes, yes, you’re _so_ amazing Harry,” Draco pretending to gush, rolling his eyes in the process.

Harry snorted. “Don’t even start, you know you lo—” and then Harry cut himself off because, dammit, they just started dating, surely, he couldn’t joke about the “L” word, right? Instead, he said, “—like it when I show off,”

_Smooth, Harry._

Draco chuckled. “Yeah, whatever, so what’s the plan now?”

“I’m going to go find Ron and Hermione for a little bit, and then I believe I owe you a date,” Harry said with a bright smile on his face.

It made Draco’s heart melt to see Harry so excited about the prospect of dating, after denying it himself for so long. “Okay, meet me in the entrance hall in an hour?”

“Sounds great,” and then just because he could, Harry pulled Draco in for one last kiss, lingering for a moment, before he pulled away and was off down the hall.  
Draco stood still, trying to catch his breath.

“First fighting, now this?” Blaise grimaced. “I don’t know how much of this I can handle, Pans,”

Draco rolled his eyes. Pansy only laughed. “You’ll get used to it. Now, I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind finding myself a Gryffindor,”

“And by a Gryffindor, do you mean Ginny?” Blaise smirked.

“Oh please! Besides, you’ve have a crush on that girl for _ages_.”

Draco raised an eyebrow at that, “You two have lost it,”

“Says the once actually dating a Gryffindor,” Blaise scoffed.

“Touche,”

\---

“You’re late, Potter,”

“Am I ever on time?” he asked, offering an arm to the blond.

Draco rolled his eyes, but he was all smiles as he linked their arms together and lead them out of the castle. “So, where to?”

“Wherever you want to go, you lost fair and square.”

“I _hate_ you,”

“You lo— _like_ me,” Harry said cockily.

Draco yanked Harry towards him, causing Harry to nearly trip and fall. “Oops,” Draco said innocently.

“I hate you,”

“You like me,”

\---

As promised, when they entered inside Hogsmeade, Harry let Draco pick where he wanted to go, and so the Slytherin steered them straight into the candy shop, where Harry spent a fortune on licorice wands, chocolate frogs, ice mice, and sugar quills. Draco was over the moon, suddenly feeling as though maybe winning wasn’t everything after all.

Once they left the shop, Harry convinced Draco to go into Zonko’s with him where they bought some new prank items to try out on Umbridge, as well as some other unsuspecting students. Ms. Pince was still looking for the culprit who set off the stink bomb in the library.

Soon, the couple made it to The Three Broomsticks, where although Harry had promised butterbeer, Draco ordered a hot cocoa and Harry butterbeer for himself. They sat for what must have felt like hours, just talking and eating, enjoying one another’s company.

“Two months ago, I wouldn’t have believed we’d be friends, let alone dating,” Harry said after a pause of silence.

“Me either, but I don’t have any complaints so far,” Draco said. “Although, I still think you’re annoying,”

“And you a prat,”

Draco laughed. “I think we’ll always fight, no matter what,”

“We’ll make up though,” Harry said with a sly grin.

Draco rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. “Whatever. Hey, what are your plans for Christmas break?”

Harry shrugged. “Staying at the castle as usual. Why, something going on?”

“I think I might stay. I mean, I probably will whether you’re here or not, it’s just…” Draco trailed off, so Harry put his hand on top of Draco’s across the table. Draco looked down and smiled at the gesture. “My Father…ever since,” Draco looked around, “ _You-Know-Who_ has returned, he’s been on edge. He _really_ wants me to start getting on board with him, and I just don’t think I can go back there right now,”

Harry nodded. “What about your mom?”

Draco sighed. “She’s trying her best, but, my Father can be…intimidating to say the least. Or, at least the company he keeps are,”

Harry nodded, and the two sat in silence, neither saying a word for a long time, just staring at their conjoined hands, until Harry finally found the words to speak up. “When you say your father wants you to get on board…what do you mean?”

Draco remained silent.

“Does this have something to do with why you came to me in the first place? About DA training, I mean?”

“My Father wants me to take the dark mark,”

Harry gave a sharp intake of breath at that. “Oh,”

“Yeah,”

More silence loomed over them after that, neither one of them really knowing what to say.

“You know I don’t—” Draco started.

“Of course!”

More silence stretched between them.

“Harry?”

Harry looked up to meet Draco’s now glassy eyes. They were filled with sadness, fear, and uncertainty. Harry absolutely hated it, and he vowed to do whatever it takes to never see that look again. “Yes?”

“Promise me that you’ll try? That no matter what happens, you’ll see this through to the end?”

“Draco—”

“I need you to promise me!” he said more firmly, a tear trailing down his cheek. “That no matter what, you’ll stop him. You’ll put an end to all of this…no matter what side I may end up on.”

“Draco—”

_“Please?”_

In that moment Draco looked so utterly lost and heartbroken. Harry felt his heart rip in two, and he wanted nothing more than to hold the boy sitting across from him. “I promise. I promise to stop him, and I promise to protect you and keep you safe.” He said. “But you have to promise me something too,” he said, squeezing Draco’s hand. “You have to promise me to fight. No matter what your father says, no matter what _You-Know-Who_ does, you have to promise to hang in there.”

“Harry, I can’t—"

“Draco, please, I just got you, I’m not ready to lose you.” Harry said, a tear of his own sliding down his cheek.

Draco’s eyes were wide, and something flashed in them, probably something similar to what Harry’s eyes must have been portraying, before he said, “I promise. You and me, until the end, right?”

Harry nodded. “Always,”

“Always,”

\---

The trip back up to the castle was quiet but contempt. They talked and they laughed occasionally here and there, but mostly, they thought and reflected. Harry had a lot on his mind to think about. He figured with all that’s been happening, he should at least send another letter to Sirius. Maybe he could even send one to Lupin, he hadn’t owled him in a while either. There was still Snape and Dumbledore that Harry needed to deal with, and Umbridge was no walk in the park, but Harry would figure it all out later. Right now, it was just him and Draco, and he was determined to make the most of their time together.

“You wanna go to the Room of Requirement?”

Draco frowned. “I don’t really feel like doing any work right now, if I’m being completely honest with you.”

Harry shrugged. “No work then, only talking.”

\---

When the boys got to the Room of Requirement, it was their usual study room, but the two boys skipped the desk, and instead went for the couch. Harry sat down first, and Draco curled up next to him, leaning into Harry’s side, while Harry wrapped his arms around Draco’s shoulders.

Draco hummed contently as he closed his eyes and began to relax. Harry sighed as well. “Sleepy?”

“Hmm,”

Harry chuckled, running one of his hands through Draco’s soft, silky smooth hair. Draco let out a noise of appreciation, nuzzling his head against Harry’s hand, before settling back down into his side.

“You’re adorable,” Harry said more so to himself.

Draco hummed. “I know,”

Harry tugged lightly on Draco’s hair. “Go to sleep, you self-entitled prat.”

Draco stuck his tongue out at Harry, his eyes still closed. “You…like me, and you know it,” because dammit, Draco felt weird about saying the “L” word too.

But Harry didn’t mind, in fact he was grateful. “Yes, I like you very much,”

Draco blushed. “I’m glad,”

Harry bent down and kissed Draco’s forehead. “Sleep, my…”

Draco cracked an eye open. “Sleep, what?”

“I don’t know…I don’t have a cute pet name for you yet,” Harry teased.

“Oh, well we simply cannot have that!” Draco said, closing his eyes and smiling as Harry continued to play with his hair.

“Hmm, I’ll think of something eventually.”

“Will do. Night then, Potter.”

Harry rolled his eyes, but then he closed them. “Night Malfoy.”

\---

Harry woke up sometime later to the feel of a soft, warm hand being carded through his hair. He smiled faintly as he slowly came to. Draco was humming softly, one hand in Harry’s hair, the other softly cradling his head in his palm. They’d somehow switch positions to where Draco was sitting up against one end of the couch and he had Harry’s head in his lap. Realizing the Gryffindor was waking up, Draco lightly scratched his nails against Harry’s scalp, causing the younger boy to hum in contentment.

He cracked an eye open and was met by his boyfriend smiling down at him. “Hi,”

“Hey,” Draco softly replied.

“How’d I get down here?” Harry asked curiously, as he began to sit up.

“After I woke up, I had gotten up to work on some homework. When I came back, you were hogging up most of the couch,” Draco laughed. “So, I simply moved you out of the way, but then you rolled over into my lap.”

Harry hummed in acceptance, placing his head on Draco’s shoulders, and wrapping his arms around him. Draco turned his head and kissed Harry’s forehead. “We cuddle a lot more than I thought we would.”

Harry laughed. “Sorry. I can’t help it,” he said, beginning to sit up.

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it!” Draco said, yanking Harry back down. Now they were in a position similar to earlier. Draco turned his body so his back was leaning against the back of the armrest, and Harry moved to sit with his back against Draco’s front. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry’s stomach, and Harry placed his arms on top of Draco’s.

Draco rested his head on top of Harry’s. “You’re so warm.”

Harry sighed contently. “You’re always cold,”

“Hmm,” Draco hummed, nuzzling his head in Harry’s hair. _Who knew this tangled mess could be this soft?_ “it’s a good thing I have you then,”

Harry chuckled. “I never took you as the clingy type.”

Draco frowned, pulling away. “I’m not clingy.”

Harry turned his upper body around to stare at Draco. “Not in a bad way! It’s... cute, is all. You’re usually not this affectionate.”

Draco continued to glare, and Harry rolled his eyes, turning around to press his lips against Draco’s pouty ones. Draco instantly sighed, a small smile curving the corner of his lips. Harry pulled back and smiled.

Draco blushed. “What?”

“You’re adorable,” he said, turning back around in Draco’s lap.

Draco hid his blush in Harry’s hair. “Am not. And I’m not clingy! I just…I mean…”

“What?”

Draco bit his lip, playing with Harry’s hands. “It’s just…we’re always fighting, and I’ve always wanted so much more, and now that I do…”

Harry leaned all the way back, tilting his head up on Draco’s chest so that he could look into his deep grey eyes. “I know what you mean.”

Draco smiled. “Also, you smell really good. Like…quidditch and treacle tart.”

Harry laughed nuzzling his head into Draco’s neck. “You smell like chocolate and flowers.”

Draco hummed, moving one of his hands to play with Harry’s hair again. “I can’t get over how soft your hair is. It’s so messy, do you even own a brush?”

“Somewhere in my trunk. I never use it though.”

Draco snorted. “Obviously.”

Harry lightly swatted Draco’s arm, but then he placed a kiss against Draco’s exposed neck. “I thought your hair would be all gross and greasy,”

Draco made a disgruntled face. “Why?”

“Because, it’s always slicked back and there’s never a hair out of place, you’ve got to be putting _something_ in there!”

“It’s called a _comb_ ,”

Harry swatted Draco’s arm a little harder. “Shut up,”

Draco laughed, squeezing Harry as he leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You like me and you know it,”

“I don’t think I have a choice in the matter,”

Draco gave him another kiss. “Nope,”

“What’s with all the kisses?”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“I never said that,”

“Then shut up.”

So, Harry did, turning around in Draco’s lap, cupping his head in the palms of his hands as he leaned in and kissed Draco. It was slow and languid, the two sighing as they leaned into it. Harry slid his hands down and around Draco’s neck as he lightly ran his tongue across Draco’s lips, silently asking for entrance.

Draco sighed, tilting his head as he slightly opened his mouth to let Harry in. Harry let his tongue slid inside Draco’s mouth and explore, lightly brushing up against Draco’s. Both boys let out similar noises of pleasure, Draco wrapping his arms around Harry’s waist and pulling him forward, making Harry sit fully in his lap.

Their tongues played with each other, moving and intertwining together as they explored the depths of their mouths. Draco pulled Harry even tighter against him, and Harry moaned into his mouth as he wrapped his arm tighter around Draco’s neck, tilting his head slightly to kiss Draco at a better angle as his other hand slid into his perfect hair. 

The kiss began to deepen, Draco pressing his lips a bit more firmly against Harry’s, pushing his tongue inside of Harry’s mouth to do some exploring of its own. Harry hummed, smiling a bit into the kiss, before pulling back, biting down on Draco’s bottom lip as he pulled away.

Draco gave a tiny moan, as he opened his eyes, not even realizing he had closed them. Harry was staring down at him. “We shouldn’t do anything too adventurous,” Harry said, biting his own lip.

Draco reached out, placing his thumb against his lip and pulling it out from Harry’s teeth. Both were softly blushing and breathing heavily, their lips both bright red and puffy. Draco thought Harry looked hot that way, with his glasses all askew. Harry thought Draco looked breathtaking, especially with his ruffled-up hair.

“We won’t go too fast,” Draco said, still playing with Harry’s bottom lip. Harry lightly kissed Draco’s thumb, before getting up off of his lap.

“We should do some work.”

Draco sighed, standing up as well. “I suppose you're right. One more kiss wouldn’t hurt, though?”

Harry didn’t say anything, just pulled Draco closer and gave him one last leisurely kiss. “Anything for you,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still adding tags as I go, so make sure you're checking those, ya never know what might pop up. I'm usually adding at least one new tag per chapter, (as I edit chapters, I just add more tags), and yesterday I added a bunch, so just be on the lookout.
> 
> Also, let me know if you see something that I should tag. I'm not trying to tag every little thing (i.e; boys kissing, gay relationships, jealousy, etc) because those are kind of a given, but if you see something you feel needs to be tagged, let me know and I will add it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hogsmeade!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haven't been feeling the best these past two days, and school is awful, but here's a new chapter to hopefully brighten your day :)
> 
> *EDIT* I switched around Blaise and Draco's code names because of what I'm going to use them for later in the story, and I forgot to change it in the document, so I just fixed it. Sorry for the confusion.

The week passed on in a blur, and Harry was happy for it. Quidditch practices were intense, but Harry was glad to be back on the team and could endure the pain of stretched muscles and fatigue.

“Keep up the good work, and you’ll be quidditch captain for sure next year!” Angelica would praise him.

Classes were going great, he was getting all his homework done on time with good marks, and he felt prepared for his O.W.L.S. He had a cute tutor to thank for that.

“You are bloody amazing,” Harry said as he sat in his boyfriend’s lap, raining kisses on him.

Draco laughed. “I didn’t do anything,”

Harry hummed, giving Draco a particularly heart stopping kiss before replying, “I just got a 100 on my potions test because of you, surely you’re doing something.”

Draco couldn’t argue with that, so he gave in to Harry’s urgent kisses.

Even his Occlumency lessons with Snape were improving. They weren’t arguing nearly as much as they used to be, and Snape was throwing less and less insults at him. He even managed a compliment him the other day.

“Well, Potter, not as terrible as I thought you’d be, but still quite disappointing,”

Well, not exactly a compliment, but Harry was going to take what he could get. Besides, today was Saturday, and Harry wasn’t going to let anything break his spirits. He woke up with a smile on his face, feeling as though nothing could go wrong. He hopped out of bed and began to get ready for the day ahead.

\---

Once he was ready, Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room waiting for the others with Hermione. She was usually up first in the morning, and so she would read in her favorite chair before heading down for breakfast with the group. She smiled at Harry, his happy mood not going unnoticed.

“You’ve been quite the happy camper this week,” she commented. “What’s up?”

Harry only shrugged plopping down next to his best friend. “I’m just feeling happy,”

Hermione giggled. “And does this new-found happiness have something to do with a certain blond?”

Harry blushed. “Maybe.”

Hermione continued to giggle as the rest of the fifth year Gryffindors began to make their way down the stairs. “He’s _always_ in a good mood,” Ron groaned. “And quite frankly, it’s too early in the morning for all this pep and cheer.”

Dean laughed. “Ignore him, he just hasn’t had any food yet.”

The others laughed while Ron grumbled something under his breath, not even waiting for the others as he made his way towards the portrait hole. The others continued to laugh as they followed his lead out of the common room and towards the dining hall.

\---

The dining hall was crowded as usual, and filled with loud talk and laughter. Today’s quidditch game was against Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, and although it was pretty clear who the winner was going to be, everyone was still very excited to go see the game, including Harry. Most of breakfast was spent talking about the two teams Seeker’s, and Harry was pretty engrossed in the conversation, until a flash of green caught his eye.

Draco and his friends were always late to meals. Harry still couldn’t figure out why, and Draco would never tell him, but nonetheless, the four of them — Draco, Pansy, Blaise, and Theo — all strolled in together, laughing as a group, as they headed towards their table.

Harry couldn’t help but to stare, but he tried focusing back in on the conversation they were currently having about Ravenclaw’s Beaters. One of the twins said something then, that made everyone erupt into laughter, including Harry, who had to hold his stomach from laughing to hard. He knew the Gryffindor table tended to be obnoxious, therefore the other tables would constantly turn and stare at them. However, Harry felt a particular set of eyes on him, and when he looked across the room, he was met by a familiar Slytherin’s gaze.

Draco was smiling over at Harry, a look of amusement and wonderment in his eyes. Harry waved over to the blond and it made Draco blush. But then he blew Harry a kiss from across the hall, and suddenly it was Harry whose cheeks were a bright rose red.

Ginny shook her head, laughing from across the table. “Do you two ever stop flirting?” she teased.

Ron rolled his eyes. “Nope.”

“You should see them during class,” Dean said.

“It’s even worse!” Seamus laughed.

The group laughed, and Harry blushed even harder at the embarrassment. “Shut up, you guys!” but it was no use. In fact, it seemed to only fuel their fire.

“They’re constantly sending each other notes and daydreaming off in space,” Neville said.

“Come on guys, it’s kind of cute!” Hermione tried to defend, but she too, was in a fit of giggles along with Lavender and Parvati.

Harry wanted to dissolve into nothingness. He spared a glance across the hall to see Draco blushing just as madly as he was, with Pansy on one side laughing hysterically as Blaise seemed to be telling the group a story — no doubt about Draco and himself. The two boys in question made eye contact and smiled sheepishly at each other.

This was going to be a long day.

\---

After breakfast, everyone began to make their way down to the quidditch pitch. The stands quickly began to fill up as students and professors alike began to take their seats. Draco and his friends decided to sit with the Gryffindors to cheer on their fellow classmates, but no one seemed to be objecting. Draco and Harry obviously sat next to each other, below them sat Pansy sitting next to Hermione, and Ron on her other side, sitting next to Blaise. Beside Draco and Harry sat Dean and Seamus, and behind them were Neville, Ginny, and Luna.

It was another chilly October day, and so Draco was leaning into Harry’s side for warmth. Harry smiled, pressing a kiss against his forehead as he wrapped an arm around the Slytherin’s shoulders.

“There they go again,” Dean said, but then he wrapped an arm around Seamus, causing him to blush as well.

Draco and Harry gave each other knowing looks, smiling brightly at one another. They turned to look at Dean, who simply waggled his eyebrows at them, causing Seamus to blush even madder.

“They do make a lovely couple,” Luna commented absentmindedly.

“We aren’t—” Seamus began.

“They are adorable,” Ginny giggled. “Draco and Harry may have some competition,”

They laughed. “We’re obviously cuter,” Harry teased.

Draco rolled his eyes. “Ignore him.”

“The real question is,” Pansy said with an evil smirk. “Who's dating who? Neville and Ginny? Or Neville and Luna?”

“My bets are on Luna and Ginny.” Blaise said with a wicked smirk of his own.

“No way, they’re totally in a threesome for sure,” Theo stated.

The group laughed, while the two Gryffindors in question blushed madly. Luna, on the other hand, seemed to be contemplating the discussion. “Well, I like them both very much, but if I had to pick one, I think I’d go with—”

“Let the match begin!” Lee shouted out into the crowd, causing an uproar of screams and applauds.

Well, they’d figure out the answer to that question eventually.

\---

Ravenclaw swept the Hufflepuff team, thus advancing. They’d be playing against Slytherin for their next match. “Called it,” Ron bragged.

“Mate, _everyone_ called it!” Seamus said, holding Dean’s hand as they all exited out of the stands. “That was a no brainer.”

Everyone laughed as they began making their way towards the castle. Draco and Harry were in the lead, holding hands as well, when Draco stopped abruptly in his tracks. 

“What?” Harry asked, coming to a halt.

Draco turned and smiled at Harry. “Wanna go to Hogsmeade?”

“What, right now? I don’t think—”

“Remember a week or so ago? You said you wanted our friends to hang out together,”

“And you said that you weren’t being serious,”

Draco shrugged. “We weren’t dating then.”

Harry started to smile. “But we are now,”

Draco nodded his head. “Exactly.”

Harry’s smile was wide now, as he pulled Draco forward and kissed him. Draco hummed into the kiss, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss. A cough nearby reminded them of their audience, and they pulled back, blushing. “You guys wanna come with us to Hogsmeade?” Harry asked.

“As a date?” Ron asked, incredulously.

Both boys rolled their eyes. “ _No_ , Ron.” They replied simultaneously

“I’m in!” Pansy chimed up.

“Me too, I don’t see why not,” Hermione said.

The others nodded in agreement, and soon the lot were making their way into the small town.

\---

At first, it was a little awkward, seeing as the Slytherins and Gryffindors didn’t hang out much together outside of classes, and even then, it was a forced kind of thing. Harry and Draco walked side by side in front of the group, while the Gryffindors kind of stayed on Harry’s side and the Slytherin’s on Draco’s side. But, as they walked farther along the path and conversations began to pick up, the air became a less tense, little by little.

Soon, they were all taking a seat inside of the Three Broomsticks. Upon entering, they were meet by a couple more Slytherins, which helped even out their numbers a bit. The group pushed some tables together, and after some moving around, were able to all find a seat somewhere. Neville sat on one end, and on either side of him sat Pansy, Hermione, Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Theo. On the opposite of Neville sat Luna, and on her other side was Daphne Greengrass, Ginny, Dean, Seamus, Ron, and Millicent Bulstrode.

It was quite the large group, both Harry and Draco starting to have their doubts on how well this was going to work out. Maybe it would have been better if it had been a smaller gathering. But then Pansy smiled around the table and said, “So, welcome to the first Draco and Harry fanclub!” and everyone started laughing.

“Or the Dean and Seamus fanclub,” Ginny teased from the other side of the table.

“Wait, I thought this meeting was about our discussion earlier on Neville, Ginny, and Luna?” Theo joked.

Milli and Daphne both leaned over the table and shared a look. “Are we missing something?” which only caused more laughter.

“So, you two really are dating, then?” Daphne asked once the chaos had settled down.  
Draco smiled. “Yeah, we have for about a week now,”

Harry was also smiling. “Took us a while, but here we are,”

“About damn time,” Hermione and Blaise both muttered under their breath, causing a few laughs.

“Well, who would have thought them getting together would lead to all of this!” Neville joked.

“Love often brings many people together,” Luna said, causing the two boys in question to blush.

Ginny shrugged. “She’s got a point though, now all we need is a Hufflepuff.”

“Justin wouldn’t be too bad of an addition,” Seamus threw out jokingly.

“Or Ernie, he’s pretty cool,” Dean said.

“What, we’re having auditions for who can join our friend group, now?” Milli said.

Ron snorted. “We’re all friends now?”

The group kind of looked around at one another, almost as if they were sizing each other up. Harry and Draco were suddenly very nervous, until Luna kind of just shrugged it off. “I don’t see why not,”

And that was kind of it. There were silent nods of and noises of approval. Some wore smiles, mostly—the Gryffindors—others looks of skepticism—mostly the Slytherins—but they had all come to a mutual agreement, and everyone seemed okay with it.

“So, moving on!” Pansy chimed in, taking the lead once more. “Harry, tells us about this infamous DA group of yours! Us Slytherins have been _dying_ to know,”

And so, conversation soon started to flow freely around the group. Once they started becoming familiar with each other, things started to flow a lot better. Such a big group was a bit overwhelming though, and their friends started leaving one by one to go and do other things around the town. Soon, it was just the Golden Trio sitting amongst the less popular Green Trio.

“And then there were six,” Pansy concluded.

“It is a lot quieter in here now,” Hermione commented.

“It’s kind of nice though,” Harry said.

“More privacy,” Draco winked, causing Harry to blush madly.

“Do you two ever stop?” Ron asked.

“Hardly,” Blaise said rolling his eyes.

After pushing the tables back to normal, the group rearranged themselves, who now sat Ron on the end, Harry, Pansy, Hermione at the other end, then Blaise, and Draco. “Who knew we could all get along so well?” Pansy commented.

“It is quite surprising,” Blaise said. “But now we have more people to join in on all the Slytherin fun,”

“Huh?” Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.

Harry rolled his eyes. “You know, all the Slytherin rumors about all the epic parties they throw,”

“Rumors,” Pansy scoffed. “It’s not a rumor if it’s true!”

“Yes, but they’re run by the older years,” Hermione said.

“And next year it’ll be _our_ turn,” Pansy said gleefully. “I’ve already got a list started of all the cool party ideas we’re going to throw,”

“Looks like we aren’t the only ones in need of code names if they want to stay out of trouble,” Ron joked, causing the others to laugh.

Blaise made a face. “Code names?”

“We started coming up with code names the other day in the common room.” Harry said. “Just for fun, but you never know, with Umbridge around, it’s not a bad idea.”

“What have you come up with?” Pansy asked, sounding intrigued.

“Not much, actually,” Ron said with a shrug. “Eagle one, Prince Charming, Eagle Two,”

“Ooh, can I be Raven?” Pansy exclaimed. “I could totally make that work,”

“Ha! Told you!” Ron said, pointing a finger at Harry and sticking his tongue out.

Harry gave him the finger. “Whatever. Although, we should probably make a list, you know, keep track of who's who.”

“I’ve got it,” Pansy said, grabbing a nearby napkin and transfiguring a cup into a quill.

“So, what have we got so far?”

So Ron and Harry explained what they had talked about and possible ideas for names, but then wondering if it be better for others to just chose their own name. Blaise came up with “sliver fox” and Hermione finally settled on “Matilda”, because it’s a muggle fictional character she could really relate to. Draco came up with “serpent king” after Ron teased him about using the code name ferret. They decided later on they’d ask others what they thought on the matter, and at their top of the list, the twins, because they probably needed one the most.

The group stayed and chatted a little bit longer, before Ron and Hermione decided to head back to the castle, and Pansy and Blaise decided to walk around the grounds a little bit, leaving the two lovebirds behind. The two shared a look and smiled.

“That went a whole lot better than expected,” Harry said.

“Yes, and I’m quite happy with the results,” Draco said. “You have proven me wrong. I didn’t think this was going to work out.”

Harry’s smile turned into a slight smirk. “Do I get a prize for being right?”

Draco raised an eyebrow, the corner of his lip starting to upturn in a smirk of his own. “Do you _deserve_ a prize, Potter?”

Harry shivered at the way his name sounded coming out of Draco’s mouth. “I think I’ve earned one fair and square,”

“And just what did you have in mind?”

Harry leaned forward, wrapping an arm around the back of Draco’s neck. “I think a kiss will do for now,”

Draco’s breath hitched at the look in Harry’s eyes—gleeful and mischievous. “And later on?”

Harry smiled, brushing his lips against Draco’s. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” he whispered against them, before pressing his lips firmly against the Slytherin’s. Draco sighed into the kiss, pulling Harry closer. Yes, they were in public and other people were around, but Draco didn’t care. He was with Harry and he was happy.

He was finally content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I don't have a posting schedule for this story, but I'm just going to go ahead and say there will be a new chapter at least every two days or so. Life is getting kind of busy, and while I do have the next couple of chapters already edited and ready to post, there's no telling what could happen (power loss, work, I fall asleep and forget to post), so just hang in there :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Um...don't hate me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that the Yule Ball was held in the Great Hall, but for this chapter, we’re just going to pretend that there was a ballroom – I mean, Hogwarts _is_ a castle

“Go on another date with me,”

Draco looked up from his Charms homework. “You mean one date wasn’t enough?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “People tend to go on dates when their dating someone. Typically, more than one if they _really_ like someone.”

Draco smiled. “Sarcasm. Perhaps we’ve been spending a little too much time together.”

Harry sighed, closing his potions book. “In here? Yes, we have. Come on, I wanna take you somewhere,”

Draco huffed, but closed his textbook anyway. “This better be good, Potter.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“Depends, is today a day ending in ‘Y’?”

Harry frowned. “They all do…”

“Then in that case, no, I don’t trust you,”

Harry pinched Draco’s arm, as they got up to leave the Room of Requirement. “Prat,”

“Git,”

Harry mocked biting Draco, who stuck his tongue out in return. Harry rolled his eyes, gathering up the rest of his things and then grabbing Draco’s hand. “Ready?”

Draco nodded. “I go wherever you go,”

\---

Harry lead Draco through the hallways, down the moving staircases, around a couple corners, and through a secret pathway. Draco was curious as to where they were going, but once they made it down to the first level, he had a feeling. “Harry, what are we doing going this way?”

He only smiled, squeezing Draco’s hand tighter. “You’ll see,”

\---

Upon entering inside the room, Draco was rendered speechless. “Wow, they kept everything the same?”

Harry shrugged, leading them towards the center of the room. “Yeah, I guess so,”

The ballroom in which the Yule Ball was held hadn’t changed much from the previous year. The decorations remained in place, all of the tables and chairs still in their previous spots, the table cloth clean and wrinkle free. Nothing was dusty, appearing as if they could have a classic ball at the snap of a finger. Of course there was no food, no music, and the place was void of all students and staff, but it was quiet and it made the atmosphere light and carefree.

Draco smiled, turning towards Harry. “Why’d you bring me here?”

Harry shrugged, lightly blushing. “So we could dance?”

Draco laughed, but not mockingly. It was a shy laugh, one of delight and wonder. “We could have done that in the Room of Requirement,”

“I know, but the other day I couldn’t stop thinking about you and Pansy at the Yule Ball together, and wondering what it would have been like if you had gone with me instead,”

“So, you brought me here to find out?” Draco asked, biting his lip. It was incredibly sweet of the Gryffindor, and Draco didn’t know whether to make fun of his Hufflepuff tendencies, or to push the Gryffindor against the nearest wall and snog him like his life depended on it.

He decided on somewhere in the middle.

He walked forward, pressing his body flush against Harry and wrapping his arms around the shorter boy’s waist, lightly kissing his forehead. Harry blushed madly. He wasn’t used to this Draco. He was used to his snarkiness and sarcasm, this affectionate and caring Draco was taking some getting used to. Some days he still felt as though Draco might turn around and hex him.

“That was the plan,” Harry replied to Draco’s earlier question. “Although, it’s probably a stupid idea now that I think about it,” he said, becoming insecure. “We don’t even have any music,”

Draco chuckled lightly, pulling away, and walking over to the nearby stage where a band would have been playing had there actually been a ball going on. He transfigured one of the sound props into a radio, and turned it on, changing the stations until soft music began to play through the speakers. He cast another spell, and the music began to fill the hall. He then turned back around and made his way back over to Harry.

Draco held out his hand and smiled. “May I have this dance?”

And suddenly, Harry was the one having a flashback to first year. Draco had offered him his hand then and he had refused it. Now, he firmly grasped that hand in his, smiling back into those gray eyes he loved so much as Draco pulled him close and they began to dance.

“I probably should have warned you, I’m pants at dancing,” Harry said sheepishly.

Draco smiled down at Harry. He’d never noticed their height difference until now. He had to be at least a foot taller, as Harry often had to look up at him, and Draco could easily rest his head on top of Harry’s. Harry didn’t mind it though, in fact he liked it. He liked having to reach up on the tips of his toes to give Draco a kiss, and he liked that in a position like this, he could easily trail kisses along his neck and collarbones. He loved Draco’s forehead kisses, and when they cuddled, he loved curling up into Draco’s side.

“You’re not too terrible,” Draco replied. “Practice does make perfect,”

Harry rested his head against the crook of Draco’s neck, his arms around his neck. “Does that mean we’ll be doing this more often?”

“If you’re lucky,”

Turns out Harry wasn’t as bad as he thought. He still stepped on Draco’s feet a couple of times, but Draco would playfully sneer at him, before spinning him around in a circle. Sometimes Draco would lead, waltzing them around the dancefloor, and other times Harry would lead, walking them around in slow circles. Mostly though the two swayed together in the middle of the ballroom, holding each other tight. One song turned to three, and soon it was much later into the night.

Draco was laughing at something Harry had said, and it filled his heart with warmth, feeling Draco’s body vibrate against him, the feel of his heartbeat so real and vibrant against his own chest. Harry smiled, placing a kiss there. “You’re amazing,”

Draco hummed, his head resting on top of Harry’s. “So I’ve been told,”

Even if Draco couldn’t see him, that didn’t stop Harry from rolling his eyes. “You’re also a piece of work,”

“Yes, I’ve heard that one too,”

Harry leaned back, smiling up at the blond. “You are awful,”

“I thought I was amazing.”

“Amazingly awful,”

Draco laughed, causing harry to laugh, and soon the two were clutching onto each other, unable to control themselves. They were a mess, but they were happy and they were together, and to them, that was all that mattered.  
Harry pulled away slightly, tilting his head up once more. “Sometimes I still can’t believe it,”

“Believe what?”

“That we’re here. That you’re mine,”

Draco smiled warmly, leaning down to peck Harry’s lips, but Harry cupped the side of his face, not letting him go as he deepened the kiss. Draco sighed, opening up to the kiss, allowing Harry in as they explored each other’s mouths. Harry smiled into the kiss, tilting his head, not being able to get enough of the blond. He tasted of chocolate and something simply _Draco_ and it was intoxicating. Plus, he always smelt like flowers, and it made his senses go into overload.

Draco felt the same way. Harry tasted sweet and he had this woodsy smell that reminded Draco of outside and quidditch, which always seemed to send his brain into a frenzy. He pulled Harry closer, the kiss becoming a bit more intense and frantic. His hands started travelling from Harry’s waist, up his back, and then down again, before lightly resting on Harry’s bum.

He gave an audible gasp, only pulling away from the kiss slightly, eyes still closed and his breathing heavy, their lips still touching. When Draco gave Harry’s arse the slightest squeeze, Harry moaned, leaning back into the kiss, this time just as intense as the last.  
Finally, when the desire to breath became overwhelming, the two boys pulled away, breaths heavy and lips swollen. Both were blushing bright red, but had smiles on their faces.

“Umm,” Draco started.

“We should probably head back,” Harry finished, biting his lip.

Draco nodded, stepping away from Harry and grabbing his hand. “You walked me back last time, this time I get to walk you back.”

Harry smiled, nodding in agreement as he followed the Slytherin out of the ballroom.

\---

Upon seeing the Fat Lady, Harry turned to look at Draco, engulfing him in a hug. “That was fun. Thanks for putting up with my horrid dancing,”

Draco rolled his eyes, giving Harry one last searing kiss. “Anytime,” he said.

Harry had to take a couple of deep breaths. “You’re trying to kill me tonight, aren’t you?”

Draco laughed, trailing his hands down again to softly squeeze Harry’s arse, before slowly pulling out of Harry’s embrace. “Maybe,”

Harry was blushing mad, but dammit, Draco’s hands felt good. “What happened to not going too fast?”

“Do you want me to slow down?”

_Or speed up_. Harry blushed even harder. “No! Er—I mean, you’re fine, this is fine,”

Draco grinned. “Cat got your tongue, Potter?”

_More like snake._ “Go back to your scary dungeons already!” Harry teased.

Draco hissed playfully at Harry, and then he turned around and was out of sight. Harry sighed, leaning his back against the portrait that lead into the Gryffindor common room. The Fat Lady made a huffing noise, not even waiting for the password, as she swung the door open, effectively knocking Harry off of her painting.

“Sorry,” he muttered before entering inside.

\---

“Where have you _been?_ ” Hermione prodded. “We’ve been worried sick!”

“Yeah, mate, a little warning next time?” Ron said, yawning from his arm chair. While Hermione was still in distress, Ron seemed happy enough just knowing his friend was safe.

“I’m fine guys! Can’t I sneak out for one night?”

Ron opened his mouth to reply, but Hermione beat him to it. “Curfew! What if someone had caught you? What if Snape had been out tonight? Did you even _think_ about the consequences!”

“Hey, I’m sorry!” Harry defended. “We just lost track of time, okay?”

“We? So you were out with Malfoy then?” Ron asked.

Harry glared at the redhead. “What’s that matter?”

Ron held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Hey, I was just asking! Don’t shoot the messenger!”

“Harry, you need to be more careful—”

“Yes, Hermione, I’ve got it, can I go to bed now?”

She humphed, looking him over before muttering. “We’ll talk in the morning,” and stalking off.

Ron slowly stood from his chair, yawning as he stretched out his limbs. “You know I don’t care what you do, but this is Hermione we’re talking about,” Ron said. “Cut her some slack,”

Harry sighed, knowing he was right. “Maybe. I’ll deal with it in the morning, come on, let’s go,”

Ron followed Harry’s lead up the stairs. “Did you at least have fun?”

Harry smiled, licking his lips. “Yeah. Yeah, I did.”

\---

The next day, Hermione spent the whole morning glaring at Harry, who didn’t budge despite her persisting looks. All through their morning classes, when she’d try to talk to him, Ron would step in, usually earning even more glares from the brown-haired girl. By lunch time, however, she’d had enough. Hermione arrived early to Potions, and when Harry took his seat behind her, she immediately jumped up and took the seat next to him.

“Hermione!”

“You’re going to talk to me,” she said calmly as she pulled out her textbook.

“What’s there to talk about?”

Hermione gave Harry another one of her looks, and Harry didn’t know whether to roll his eyes, or turn and run. Unfortunately, neither one of those had a good outcome. Just then, Draco stepped into the room, and upon seeing the stare down going on between his boyfriend and best friend, he decided it was best if he sat next to Pansy on the other side of the room. Not too long afterwards, did Ron come in and make the same connection, finding a seat next to Blaise on the other side of the room as well.

Harry finally sighed in resignation. “Alright, spit it out,”

Hermione took a deep breath and then let it all out. “You’ve been sneaking around at night, and disappearing without a word! You won’t talk to us about Occlumency, you won’t tell us what you and Draco do when you’re all alone in the Room of Requirement, which I don’t particularly care about, but you’ve been leaving your map and invisibility cloak behind, on more than one occasion might I add, and you’re becoming reckless!”

“Not to mention Umbridge has been upping up security, you have yet to talk to Dumbledore, and while you have somehow begun to pass Potions, you and Ron both are somehow still slacking behind in Divination! And Honestly Harry, when was the last time you owled Snuffles? Or Lupin for that matter! I’m not trying to nag you, but for Merlin’s sake Harry, it be nice if you _talked_ to us every once in awhile!”

Hermione hadn’t meant to raise her voice, but she had been keeping it in for a long time. Some classmates had noticed and turned their heads, but the rest of the class seemed to still be in their own side conversations.

After Hermione was finished, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked a bit more relieved, relaxing a bit after finishing her spiel. She took a couple more deep breaths, trying to rein in her thoughts, before meeting Harry’s gaze.

Harry, was not so relieved. In fact, he felt angry. “Oh, so I don’t talk to you guys?” he started. “What kind of bullshit is that? I tell you and Ron _everything_ , in fact, you two are _always_ the first to know. Just because we have secrets doesn’t mean I’m entitled to tell you two any and everything that happens in my daily life. Oh, and speaking of, I’m allowed to sneak off whenever with the two of you, but as soon as I want some private time with my boyfriend, that’s not okay? Sorry you two aren’t my number one priority, but I _do_ have other friends.”

“And, speaking of friends,” he continued, “I don’t know why everyone has this delusion that me and Dumbledore are somehow best mates, because we’re not! He’s _avoiding_ me, in case you’ve forgotten! And, okay, yes, I do need to owl Snuffles, and maybe it be nice to hear from Lupin, but you aren’t my mother and I don’t need you telling me who I am and aren’t allowed to talk to. Occlumency lessons are fine, DA lessons are fine, yes, me and Ron aren’t doing so well in Divination, who the hell is? That class is shit, and I believe it’s the reason _you_ ditched it! And when isn’t Umbridge a pain in the arse? There’s nothing new there, but what me and Draco do on our own time is frankly none of your guys business. Ron doesn’t care, why do you? It’s like the fact that we’ve gotten together has suddenly become a problem. You guys can’t accept it, and it’s made it _so hard_ for you both to accept that I can’t spend every waking moment with you,”

The room was dead silent as the two friends argued in front of the class. Harry had been just as loud as Hermione, drawing in more attention until the whole class was staring at the two best friend’s wide eyed. Harry was breathing heavily and Hermione was beet red.

“First of all, don’t come to me with the ‘I’m not supporting you’ crap, when, in fact, _I_ was the one you encouraged you to start tutoring Malfoy, before you even thought it was a good idea! I’ve been here for you since day one, and whenever the two of you were having problems _I_ was there, so don’t even try it! And, okay, you _don’t_ have to tell me and Ron everything, but we have been spending the past couple of nights in the common room worried _sick_ , because you’d sneak off after dinner without so much as a goodbye and be gone for hours at a time, hell, sometimes you don’t even come back to the common room! I get it, I do, but Umbridge is crazy, you _know_ she’s looking for every excuse in the book to get you expelled, and I don’t understand why you don’t take this more seriously!” And I’m so sick of this ‘Dumbledore is ignoring me’ sob story. I think you’re just afraid,”

“Afraid? Of an old man in purple robes?”

“You’re clearly avoiding him as much as he’s been avoiding you,”

“Hermione, he’s not even in the castle half the time!”

“I bet you ten galleons if he was here in the castle right now, you _still_ wouldn’t go talk to him,”

“Oh, because I’m too busy hanging out with Malfoy?”

“I don’t _care_ about Malfoy!”

“Yes, you’ve made that quite clear!”

“You can be so arrogant sometimes!”

“Hermione!” Ron gasped.

“Oh and you’re such a walk in the park!”

“Harry, come on,” Draco pleaded.

“I can’t believe I try to help you and—” Hermione began.

“Help me?” Harry finished, “All you do is nag and try to control me!”

“Guys…” Neville begged. “Calm down, please,”

“Control you? What, you think I’m Voldemort now?”

“Well, at least Voldemort doesn’t treat me like a child!”

The classroom gasped. Ron looked absolutely torn and distraught. Draco, whose face is already usually pale, was drained of all color, and he looked downright disappointed. Neville was biting his knuckles, looking a bit green. The other Gryffindors were holding their breaths, and the Slytherins were biting their tongue, no one daring to say a word. Even Snape, who had just entered the room, seemed to realize not to disrupt the already intense atmosphere.

And poor Hermione was trying to hold it all in, her eyes just overflowing with tears. The weight of what Harry had just said was starting to slowly sink in, and he looked absolutely mortified.

“Hermione, I—”

“Don’t!” she hissed, frantically wiping at her face, completely embarrassed.

“No, please, I—”

“I’ve heard enough!” Hermione sniffed, turning her back on Harry. “I can deal with your problems, I can deal with your mood swings, and I can deal with your yelling. But, I will _not_ deal with this!” and then she picked up her book bag, packed her stuff, and exited out of the room, pushing past Snape.

Everyone in the room had their eyes glued on Harry who was mouthing agape as he watched Hermione leave. He turned his head to anyone who could help him figure out what just happened, but everyone quickly looked away. When Harry turned and looked at Dean and Seamus they avoided eye contact. One look at Neville and he was pretending to flip through his textbook. He sent a pleading look to Ron, but he just shook his head and shrugged. “Sorry, mate,” he mouthed, “I can’t help you,”

Pansy and Blaise both looked gobsmacked, both shaking their heads when Harry turned to them. “You fucked up,” Pansy mouthed, while Blaise mouthed, “Don’t look at me,”. Harry sighed, finally looking to Draco as his last hope.

What he saw in those dark grey eyes made his heart break that much more.  
He looked so sad and disappointed in the Gryffindor. Draco shook his head, stood up from his seat, opened his mouth to say something, and then shook his head again. 

“Gryffindors are supposed to be bold. Not arseholes,” and then he too, packed his stuff and left the room.

Harry watched him leave as well, his own eyes beginning to water.

Snape now came fully into the room. “I don’t know what just happened, but I’m taking 75 points each from Potter and Granger for disrupting my class. Now, if you all don’t mind, I’d actually like to start teaching. So! Turn to page 696…”

But Harry couldn’t hear him anymore. He simply put his head down on the desk, covered his head, and prayed to be swallowed whole by the darkness.

\---

Draco didn’t know why, but he felt as if he needed to go after Hermione. After the things Harry had said, she wasn’t likely to talk to him anytime soon, and something just told him that Ron was out of the question. All he knew was that Hermione needed someone, whether that was a friend or a complete stranger, Draco wasn’t sure, but he was willing to be that someone.

It didn’t take much to find her. He figured she was either in the Gryffindor common room, or in the library, and seeing as all the Seventh years were studying for N.E.W.T.S there, and everyone else was in class, he decided Gryffindor Tower had to be the way to go.

Once he got there, the Fat Lady raised an eyebrow, and Draco confidently said the password he’d heard Harry say a thousand times. The portrait swung open with no issue, and he stepped inside without a moment's notice. He didn’t have time to take in the décor of the common room, let alone process that this was his first time ever being in a common room other than his own. Instead, he focused in on the bushy haired girl crying in front of the fireplace.

He slowly made his way over to Hermione, quietly taking a seat beside her. She sniffled, wiping a rolled up sleeve under her nose, but otherwise didn’t say a word. They sat there like that, staring into the burning flames for a long time, just enjoying the silence. Draco took this as a good sign. She may not have wanted him there, but she wasn’t asking him to leave, and that was enough for Draco.

“I know he doesn’t mean it,” she finally whispered after what felt like hours.

“Doesn’t make him any less of an arsehole for saying it,” he replied.

Hermione sniffed. “He’s been like this for a while now,” she said. “Some days he’s happy as can be, and others it’s like he’s a completely different person. We, Ron and I, suspect it’s his bond with Voldemort that makes him so cranky now and then, but…”

Draco shook his head. “I know what you mean, but that doesn’t excuse him for being a right git with you. We still fight all the time, believe me, but I’ve _never_ heard him talk like that to you before.”

Hermione shrugged. “He and Ron fight occasionally,”

But Draco shook his head. “You two don’t fight. Argue, sure. But you two had an all out outburst. I’ve never seen you two get that angry. Well, I have, but never towards each other,”

“Mostly just at you,” Hermione said with a slight smile.

Draco laughed. “Exactly. And believe me, the things you were yelling at him about today, we’ve been fighting about for the past couple of weeks! I don’t why he won’t go see Dumbledore, and no matter how hard I try, he just won’t tell me. His Occlumency lessons have been getting better, but he may be having visions, it’s the one thing he won’t talk to me about. I didn’t know about Lupin, and I don’t know who Snuffles is. As for him not telling you guys everything, I totally thought that he did. I mean, I tell Pansy and Blaise everything, but that’s because they usually beat it out of me somehow anyways,”  
Now Hermione was shaking her head. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. You and Harry can do whatever you want on your own time, I don’t care. I’ve never been one for gory details.” she said with a blush. “I didn’t mean to make it sound like I didn’t support you two—”

“No one is doubting that, I knew from day one you were here for us. It shows in your actions. _You_ don’t have to explain yourself to _me_.” Draco said.

Hermione turned her head and smiled. “You know, you’re not so bad, Malfoy.”

“I think at this point, you can just call me Draco,”

Her smile brightened. She stuck out her hand, “Hermione,” and then they were shaking hands and laughing lightly. “I’m so happy you guys are together, believe me,” she said. “Contrary to Ron, I for one enjoy the snogging way more than the hexing. Madam Pomfrey has to be over the moon at the lack of injuries you two have caused each other,”

Draco laughed, but then he started to blush. “There’s um, not much to tell about me and Harry by the way,” he said. “We mostly just study whenever we sneak away after dinner. Well, last night he took me on a date—it was incredible actually—but we mostly just sit in the Room of Requirement and work on potions, DA, and Occlumency. As for, uh,” he coughed. “Other things, nothing’s happened. I mean we snog— _a lot_ — but we haven’t…you know…done _that_ ,”

Now Hermione was blushing. “I figured. I mean, I would think that we would tell—you know what? Never mind,”

They both laughed nervously. “I know you two will make up,” Draco said. “He’s just…he’s got a lot going on right now, I can understand why his emotions are a bit all over the place.”

Hermione nodded. “Because of your dad?” Draco turned away, and Hermione immediately back paddled. “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate,”

“No, you’re right,” Draco said. “I’m surprised Harry didn’t tell you but….my Father. He wants me to take the Dark Mark,”

Hermione took a sharp inhale. “No, he didn’t tell me, but to be honest, I suspected.”

Draco snorted. “So, he doesn’t tell you everything. Well, that makes two of us. I didn’t tell Harry that my Father wants me to get it as soon as next year. Hell, if everything goes to plan, I should have one by summer break,” he laughed bitterly. “I’m supposed to go home for the Christmas Hols. Father wants to go over all the future plans. You should see him, honestly, he wants to hold a ceremony and everything!”

Hermione looked sympathetic. “Draco, that’s awful,”

“Don’t I know it? I don’t know what I’m going to do over the summer, but I’m hoping I can just stay here for the Holidays. I just feel bad for my Mother.”

Hermione sighed. “I feel bad for both my parents. The school sends home letters, and they ask questions, but they don’t know. I mean they do, but they _don’t!_ At the end of the day, they’re just muggles. They couldn’t possibly understand…”

Draco nodded, scooting closer and placing a hand on Hermione’s shoulder, squeezing it. “I know. War is coming, and we haven’t even finished tonight’s homework,” both broke off into a fit of laughter, before becoming serious again. “We need to do something. Maybe not for us, but for Harry and our parents. We need to talk to Dumbledore,”

Hermione sighed. “Yes, it all comes back to him,”

“Harry can’t defeat Voldemort by himself, no matter how hard he tries to make himself believe that. And if he won’t cooperate, we’ll have to do it for him,”

“What are you saying? We go behind his back?”

“I’m saying maybe we need to form a club of our own. Unless you’re Umbridge, the Ministry, or have just been living under a rock, everyone knows that Voldemort is back. We need to start making a game plan, and if Harry won’t come to us for help…”

“We should go to him?”

Draco nodded. “Send an owl to Snuffles—Lupin too— and let’s see if we can get Harry to meet Dumbledore, kind of like we got him to meet me in the Potions classroom. Let’s start upping the DA lessons, and I can talk to Snape about some things.”

Hermione nodded. “I can talk to Neville, Luna, and Ginny about some things as well. Hagrid too, we really need to go down and talk to him as well.”

Draco smiled. “Harry has a free period and Quidditch practice tomorrow, I think we can work something out.”

Hermione wiped the last of her tears away, feeling a whole lot better. She stood up, offering her hand to Draco, to which he took with no hesitation. “Thank you, Draco,”  
Draco shrugged. “Anytime. I figured you needed someone, whether to talk to or someone to listen, I was willing to be that person.”

Hermione smiled. “You know, you’re not as bad as everyone makes you out to be,”

“You know, not all Slytherins are evil.”

“Not all Gryffindors are arseholes,” Hermione replied knowingly.

Draco blushed. “He was being a prat, he’ll get over it. Besides, he needs a reality check every once in awhile.”

“Maybe what he needs is an intervention...” Hermione joked.

“That’s not half a bad idea, Granger,” Draco agreed.

“I was teasing!”

“If he keeps acting up, I may just take you up on it,”

Hermione laughed. “Never mind that, tell me about your date!”

Draco smiled wide. “We went dancing,”

Hermione’s eyes gleamed. “Spill!”

Draco snorted. “What happened to not being all into gory details?”

“Shut up and tell me everything!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...At least it didn't end on a cliff?


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drarry ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To make up for the last chapter

When Draco ran into Harry next, it was at their typical time in the Room of Requirement after dinner. Draco hadn’t even bothered on waiting for Harry to show up, seeing as there was a good chance he wouldn’t be joining him anyways, and Draco had a Transfiguration paper to finish with or without the Golden Boy.

Harry entered into the room fifteen minutes or so after Draco, who at this point was well into his assignment. “Hi,” Harry greeted nervously from the doorway.

“Hey,” Draco replied, not even looking up as he continued to write across his expanding sheet of parchment.

Harry decided to take this as a good sign as he closed the door behind him, and made his way farther into the room. “I know you’re probably mad at me—”

Draco made a face, but still didn’t look up. “Why would I be mad at you?”

Harry frowned, taking a seat across from Malfoy. “You called me an arsehole and then walked away, which I totally deserved, but yet leads me to believe that you’re mad at me,”

Draco shrugged, dipping his quill in ink. “I’m not mad. Disappointed. But not mad.”

Harry sighed. “So, where’d you go? I took extra notes by the way,” he said, reaching into his book bag and taking them out, sliding the sheets over to Draco’s side of the table. “I made some for Hermione too. She’s not talking to me—which is understandable—so I gave them to Ron to pass on to her.”

Draco nodded, too invested in his work. “Thanks,”

Harry frowned. “You sure you’re not mad at me?”

“Not mad, just working,”

“Oh,” Harry said, catching on. “Transfiguration?” Draco only nodded. “I finished that earlier. I do need to work on my Charms homework though,” so the two worked in silence for about an hour, no noise between them except for the occasional sigh or grunt of frustration.

When Draco was finally done with the paper, he put it away and pulled out his Potions textbook. “I went to look for Hermione,” Draco said to Harry’s earlier statement.

“You find her?”

“Yeah, we talked,”

“And?”

“And what?”

“What she say?”

Draco shrugged. “Not sure if I can say,”

“What, why not?”

“Just because I’m your boyfriend doesn’t mean I’m entitled to tell you everything,”

“Okay, so I deserve that,”

“You were a right git to her,”

“I thought you weren’t mad!”

“I may be slightly irritated,”

“She said some things too, you know!” Harry said, starting to get defensive.

“Yes, the same things you and me have argued about time and time again,” Draco said. “Clearly, something isn’t right here,”

Harry sighed. “I can’t win, can I?”

“Not everything is a game, Harry,”

“I know that!”

“Haven’t you ever heard the saying repeating the same thing over and over again thinking it’ll work out differently is the definition of going insane?”

Harry frowned. “No?”

Draco sighed. “Of course you haven’t,” he said, pinching his nose. “The point is, me, and now Hermione have _both_ had to have this conversation with you, and it’s not working. Pretty soon, we’re going to have to take matters into our own hands,”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“And that’s the problem. If you don’t know, then it’s already too late,”

“So you won’t tell me what the two of you talked about, and now you won’t even tell me what it is I’m doing wrong?”

“If you don’t know what you’re doing wrong, then clearly you haven’t learned your lesson yet, and quite frankly, I don’t have the time to teach you. If you don’t want to be treated like a child, then don’t expect me to take any pity on you.”

Harry huffed, crossing his arms, homework forgotten. “This is ridiculous,”

Draco threw his quill down. “You know, I wasn’t upset, but now you are starting to piss me off!”

“What did I do?” Harry shouted in alarm.

“You’re sitting there acting sorry for yourself when you should be taking action! God, I don’t even know why you’re here right now! I get Hermione doesn’t want to talk to you, quite frankly I wouldn’t want to talk to you either, but if you think I’m just going to sit here and automatically take your side and nod and agree with you, then you can go and fuck yourself, Potter,”

Harry stared in shock, mouth hanging wide open. “I—that’s not—I didn’t say—!”

“Look, I’m not trying to start anything with you,” Draco said. “I’m simply saying that maybe instead of trying to figure out what’s going on with everyone else, you should take a step back and figure out what’s going on with _you_ ,” and then Draco went back to studying.

All Harry could do was sit there and mull over what Draco had just said. _Was he right?_ Harry knew that he was going through some things, but he didn’t realize how big of an issue it was until now. Maybe he _did_ need to take a timeout and think about his past actions.

Harry stood up, walking around the table and wrapping his arms around Draco’s shoulders. Draco didn’t stop copying down notes as Harry placed his head on top of Draco’s kissing his forehead. “I’m sorry,”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to,”

“Nonetheless, I’m still sorry,” he said, moving to kiss his nose. “Forgive me?” Draco grunted, continuing to jot down notes. Harry moved again, kissing Draco’s cheek. “Please?” Draco rolled his eyes, but his mouth was starting to upturn at the corners. Harry placed a kiss behind Draco’s ear. “Please?” Draco shrugged Harry off him, half his mouth now upturned in a smirk. Harry moved down to Draco’s neck, placing a kiss there instead. “Please?” Now Draco was full on grinning as Harry lightly turned Draco’s head towards his own. _“Please?”_ he whispered as he lightly pressed his lips to Draco’s.

Draco sighed into the kiss, finally dropping his quill and bringing both his hands up to cradle Harry’s face, deepening the kiss. Harry smiled into it, pressing his lips more firmly against the blond’s. Draco smiled as well, before slowly pulling away, a slight gleam in his eyes. “You’re forgiven,”

Harry chuckled, kissing Draco once more. “See?” he said once they’d pulled away again, “isn’t this much better than hexing each other?”

Draco laughed, nipping at Harry’s bottom lip. “Much,”

Harry leaned back in, licking along Draco’s bottom lip, before sucking on it, causing Draco to let out a whimper. He then bit down on said lip, pulling it between his teeth, before releasing it, causing another moan to escape through the blond’s lips. “Hmm, making up with you is a lot better than serving detention with you,”

Draco smirked, sliding out of his chair and turning to face Harry. He then sat back on the desk, reaching out and pulling Harry forward, between his legs, wrapping them around the back of Harry’s knees. He then wound his hands around Harry’s neck, bringing him down to his level. Draco began nipping at Harry’s lips again, their foreheads resting against each other. “We could have been doing this for _years_ ,”

Harry chuckled, stealing another wet kiss from Draco. “Silly us,”

Draco smirked into their next kiss. “I kind of like this change in height. You, standing above me,”

Harry snorted, laughing into the kiss. “It’s kind of weird actually. I’m not used to being taller,”

Draco laughed too, pecking his lips once, twice, “Wait until your neck starts to hurt,”

Harry snorted, mumbling against his lips, “You’ve never complained before,”

Draco sighed into Harry’s kisses. “Hmm, I’m used to it,”

Talking ceased as Harry’s hands tightened around Draco’s waist, pulling him closer to the edge of the table and closer to his own body as their kisses became more intense. Draco moved his legs from around Harry’s knees to around his waist, eliciting a moan from both boys. Harry held the Draco tighter in his arms, their kisses becoming brutal. Draco wound one arm around Harry’s back, the other in his wild hair as he hung on for dear life.

They were both moaning, and when Harry lightly shifted his body against Draco’s, the Slytherin let out a gasp, pulling away from the kiss. Harry could clearly feel Draco’s arousal pressed up against his own. Both boys paused, for only a moment, and then Draco rotated his hips forward, causing a shiver to roll down his body and a gasp of his own to escape Harry. Draco smiled, looking up into dilated green eyes. “Still going too fast?” he asked breathlessly.

Harry laughed, just as out of breath as Draco was. “I’m okay,”

Draco bit his lip, never taking his eyes off of Harry’s. He imagined he looked the same way the Gryffindor did; dark eyes, swollen lips, breathless, and slightly sweaty. He tightened his arms around Harry’s neck. He felt excited, and kind of bold. He didn’t know where things were going or how far they were going to go, but Draco would be lying if he said he didn’t want to find out.

“Maybe we should move over to the couch?”

Harry blushed madly. He felt along the same lines as Draco did; both excited yet kind of nervous. Both were inexperienced with this sort of thing, and while he was a little concerned that maybe he and Draco maybe _were_ moving a little bit too fast, having only been dating for just under a month, he also felt excited to be trying new things, and to be exploring those things with Draco. When he had a crush on Cho, it was hard to imagine them doing anything even remotely close to this. But with Draco, all Harry could think about was how much more he wanted him.

Harry leaned in for another heated kiss, before pulling away again. “Is that what you want?”

“Merlin, _yes_ ,”

Harry smiled shyly at the blonde, this time giving him a light kiss. “Okay,” Harry wrapped his arms around Draco’s lower back. “Hold on tight,” he said, and then he lifted Draco up into the air. Draco let out a tiny shriek, clutching Harry’s neck tight, burying his head in his neck. Harry chuckled, surprised by how light Draco was. “I told you to hold on tight,”

Draco mumbled something against his neck. “What?”

Draco pulled back. “I _said_ , that doesn’t mean I was ready!”

Harry chuckled, walking them over to the couch on the other side of the room. It was a bit difficult at first, but once he found his grip and was sure he wouldn’t drop the Slytherin, he was okay. Draco buried his head in Harry’s neck again, this time leaving a trail of kisses, causing the Gryffindor to let out a few quiet moans. Once they reached the couch, Harry lightly laid Draco down on it. Harry wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do next, if he was supposed to lie down next to him or on top of him.

Luckily, Draco made the decision for him, reaching up and pulling Harry down so he lay half way on top of Draco and half way on his side. The couch seemed to widen automatically to make room for their two bodies and they were grateful for the additional space. Draco laid completely on his back, Harry resting on either elbow, his other arm wrapped around Draco’s head and tangled in his hair, their chests on top of each other, and one of Harry’s legs in between Draco’s.

Draco smiled softly up at Harry, his own hands cupping the Gryffindor’s face. “This okay?”

Harry nodded, leaning down to kiss Draco again. “More than,”

This kiss was a lot gentler than the last couple of kisses. It was slow and the two took their time exploring each other, this time in more ways than one. Harry moved his hand from around Draco’s head, into his now mussed hair, and then began to trail it back down slowly, over his cheek, down his neck, and over his chest. He felt Draco’s heartbeat, strong and fast, before trailing it over his tone muscles, no doubt from all the Quidditch they’ve been playing, all the way down to the hem of his white button up shirt.

Draco moaned into the kiss, their tongues exploring, lightly arching up into Harry’s touches, his hands doing some exploring of their own. One hand slid up and down Harry’s side in soothing circles, the other taking a similar path as Harry’s, trailing from his hair, down the back of his neck, down his spine, and down to the hem of Harry’s T-shirt. He played with the hem, lightly drawing circles on the exposed skin down there, before trailing his hand down to Harry’s arse, this time firmly squeezing one of the cheeks in his hand.

Harry let out a long moan, moving his hips into Draco’s, causing him to moan and thrust his own hips up in response. Unlike moments ago at the table, neither of them paused to think about the action, instead, beginning to find a slow and gentle rhythm against one another. The angle was a bit off, as they weren’t directly on top of each other, but neither were complaining, and they were still finding pleasure in one another.

Draco broke off from the kiss first, trailing kisses from Harry’s lips, over to his cheek, and then down along his neck, before beginning to suck a bruise into the hollow of his neck. Harry moaned, the hand playing with the hem of Draco’s shirt slowly sliding up underneath, causing Draco to shiver. Then, Draco did the same, moving the hand that wasn’t on Harry’s arse up and underneath the hem of Harry’s shirt, trailing his hand up and down his back.

Harry’s finger traced circles around Draco’s navel, dipping in a few times, causing Draco to let out heavy sighs, before continuing its path up his shirt. The buttons were getting a little restricting though, and Harry couldn’t continue his hand’s journey up to Draco’s chest.

Draco groaned, lightly pushing Harry off of him. “Here,” he said, beginning to unbutton his shirt. Harry could only stare in admiration as more pale flesh was revealed to him. Draco _was_ muscular underneath all that school clothing, and Harry just itched to touch every inch. Draco smirked at the look on Harry’s face. “Like what you see?”

Harry bit his lip. “No sense in lying about it,” he said, helping Draco take off the rest of his shirt, before pushing him back down onto the couch. Harry kissed Draco on the lips again, before leaving his own trail down the pale neck, meanwhile his hand began its journey again, from Draco’s waist, over his navel, over his abdomen, and finally reaching its destination. Draco’s nipples were a light dusty pink color, and Harry began to rub one of the nubs with his index finger.

Draco gave a loud, drawn out moan as he arched into the touch, rotating his hips against Harry’s again, causing him to moan. One hand was woven in his black hair, the other now bracing the back of the couch. “More,”

Harry smiled, kissing the hickey he left, and moving to leave another as he now used his index finger and thumb to play with the budding nipple. “Hmm, Harry” Draco sighed, tugging on his hair, signaling he wanted another kiss. Harry did not disappoint, and this time when he leaned up to kiss Draco’s lips again, he swung his leg over all the way, so that he was now straddling Draco.

Both boys moaned at the contact, as Draco now trailed both his hands back down to the hem of Harry’s shirt, before tugging. “Off!” he gasped into Harry’s mouth as they were slowly rocking against each other.

Harry pulled away, sighing at the loss of touch, Draco making a whimpering sound, as Harry reached down and pulled the T-shirt off of his body. Draco was just as impressed with Harry’s upper body as Harry had been with Draco’s. Draco admired the view for only a minute or so, before moaning and tugging Harry back down against him.

“Need more,” he begged the Gryffindor.

Harry smirked, nipping at the Slytherin’s lips. “What do you want?”

Draco began rotating his hips again, this time with a bit more force, and Harry moaned, copying his movements. Soon, they found a rhythm, and they couldn’t help the gasps and moans that escaped them as their lips continued to meld together in a slow tangle of tongues and teeth. Harry’s hand found it’s way back to Draco’s nipple, much to Draco’s delight as his hands began to squeeze Harry’s arse, causing him to grind harder into the Slytherin.

Draco gasped at the fiction, throwing his head back, his neck arching. “Gods, _yes!_ ” he moaned. Harry was at a loss for words at the sight, and moaned, moving his head down to suck on Draco’s neck some more. He made the prettiest noises and it was driving Harry insane. Plus, the Slytherin felt so good, smelt so good, even _tasted_ good. It was addicting, and Harry never wanted it to end.

Draco felt the same way, he was lost in the feeling, nothing else matter but Harry in that moment. He trailed a hand back up into Harry’s hair and tugged him up so that their eyes were locked. Harry gave another moan and then locked Draco in a scorching kiss.

“Merlin, Draco!” he moaned after they pulled away. “Feels so good,”

“Yes, Harry, yes!” Draco chanted, pulling his hair tight, causing Harry to moan louder.   
“So good, _so good!_ ”

Both were panting now, feeling close to some kind of edge neither of them could really see. All they knew was that the feelings were becoming more intense, and all they could do was hold on tight and wait for the explosion to happen. They stared deep into each other’s eyes, Harry moving the hand that wasn’t playing with Draco’s nipples, up and connected it with Draco’s other hand that wasn’t deep in his unruly hair. Draco interlaced their fingers, squeezing tight.

Draco was the first to go, not even able to gasp out a warning. He gave a long mewl and cried _“Harry!”_ before his orgasm hit, sending him over the edge. It was intense, unlike anything he had ever felt whenever he was alone and wanked in his dorm room. It was powerful, and he shut his eyes, unable to say anything but Harry’s name over and over again as he began to shudder with the aftershocks.

The way Draco was moaning his name and the look of pure bliss on Draco’s face was enough to send Harry over the edge after just a few more thrusts of his hips. Harry came, shouting _“Oh, Draco, yes!”_ as he buried his head in Draco’s neck, biting down lightly on the spot where his neck meets his collarbone, sending another shiver to roll through Draco’s body. Harry was trembling, also never having experienced an orgasm quite that strong, and was shuddering a bit from the aftershocks as well.

Both boys then remained still, Draco with both arms around Harry’s back, trying to catch their breath. Both had lopsided grins on their faces. Draco stared up at the blank ceiling while Harry had his eyes closed. Once their breathing was somewhat back to normal, Harry sat up a bit and placed a quick kiss on Draco’s lips, before pulling away and smiling.

Draco smiled too, running a hand over Harry’s forehead to try to get rid of the hair and sweat there. “That was…”

“Yeah,” Harry agreed. “Different,”

“Yes,”

They both began to silently laugh, resting their foreheads against one another, both completely content. Both were happy, sated, and overall still in shock of what they had just done.

“We moving too fast yet?” Draco teased.

Harry smiled goofily down at the blond, giving him another kiss. “No, at least I don’t think so? Maybe we should fight more often,”

Draco laughed, pulling the Gryffindor back down for another kiss. It wasn’t slow, but it wasn’t fast and intense. It was nice and calm, relaxing, _familiar_. It was them and it was everything they could have ever wanted in a kiss. It said everything they couldn’t.

Draco only pulled away when he felt a yawn coming up. “Stay with me?”

Harry smiled, running a hand through Draco’s messy hair. “What, in here?”

“Hmm,” Draco said, closing his eyes.

“Don’t you want to go back to your dorm?”

“No,” Draco said, lightly pushing Harry off him, so that he could roll over. A pillow magically appeared beside him and he grabbed it, sighing.

Harry laughed, but complied, now staring at the back of Draco’s head. “Don’t you at least want some PJ’s?”

Draco snorted. “Wanna sleep,”

Harry chuckled, scooting up against Draco. “Wanna spoon?”

“Hmm, sounds nice,”

“Little spoon, or big spoon?”

Draco yawned. “Lil’ spoon,”

Harry smiled, curving his body along Draco’s back, wrapping his arms around Draco.   
“You’re so precious,”

“Hmm, I know,”

Harry chuckled, kissing the back of his neck. “I’m crazy about you,” he whispered, not yet ready for the “L” word.

Draco seemed to know what he meant though. “Hmm, crazy bout’ you too,”

Harry couldn’t help the goofy smile that slid onto his lips. He gave Draco one last kiss on the cheek. “Night, Malfoy,” he said, nuzzling his face in Draco’s neck, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, he was enveloped in warmth, and knew that the room had just given them a blanket.

Both Harry and Draco sighed in relief. “Night, Potter,” Draco responded, and then they were both out like a light.

\---

Draco woke up the next morning feeling content and surrounded by warmth. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept so well in the past couple of months. He sleepily began to open his eyes and take in his surroundings.

Fireplace, two plush chairs, coffee table, book shelves and a desk piled with school work. Draco smiled, realizing he was still in the Room of Requirement and all that had happened the previous night before. Draco bit his lip as he began to blush. He could feel Harry wrapped up behind him, his soft snoring echoing in his ear and his breath tickling the back of Draco's neck. Sometimes, after a hard night of studying, they'd fall asleep in this room, either at the desk, or one of them on the couch and the other usually passed out in front of the fireplace.

Last night was the first night that they'd slept together. Draco felt happy once more, not sure where all of these emotions were coming from, but deciding that it wasn't anything to be too worried about. 

Draco tried to roll over to look at Harry, but the Gryffindor subconsciously pulled the Slytherin tighter against his naked chest, probably assuming he was trying to leave. Draco laughed, trying to roll over again, and failing once more.

"Stay still!" Harry grumbled.

"Come on, Harry,” Draco pleaded. “I wanna see you,”

Harry only squeezed Draco tighter. “Don’t want you to go…” he mumbled.

Draco smiled sappily, trying so hard to wipe it away. “Please? I’m not going anywhere,”

“Promise?” Harry whined, probably still half asleep.

“I promise,” Draco laughed.

Harry slowly loosened his grip on Draco, as if testing the waters to make sure he didn’t actually up and take off running. Draco continued to chuckle to himself, finally able to roll over and face the Gryffindor. He was met with sleepy, yet somehow bright emerald green eyes. Draco’s smile widened. “See? I didn’t go anywhere,”

Harry grumbled, pulling Draco flush against himself again. Draco sighed into the heat, nuzzling his head in Harry’s neck and leaving a kiss. “You’re like a furnace,” Harry hummed, beginning to doze off again. Draco laughed, adding, “And clearly you aren’t a morning person,”

“What time izzit?” Harry slurred.

Draco shrugged. “Dunno,”

Harry reached out a hand and tried summoning his wand. It took a couple of tries, but he was finally able to do it, his wand flying into his hand. Draco shivered at the surge of power.

“Cold?” Harry asked, casting a tempus.

Draco shook his head. “No, I’m fine,”

“It’s 8:30am,”

Draco sighed. “We should head down to breakfast,”

Harry sighed too, nodding in agreement. He was about to sit up on the couch, when Draco stopped him. “Wait!”

Harry frowned. “What?”

Draco tilted his head up, and Harry leaned in for a kiss. It was languid, there was no rush or urgency. What felt like forever was really only a couple of seconds, before Draco pulled away, leaving Harry breathless. “Good morning, Harry” Draco whispered against his lips.

Harry sighed, leaning in for another kiss. “Good morning to you too,”

Draco smiled, teasing Harry with his tongue before pulling away again, causing a moan of protest from Harry. “No time for fooling around, food then classes!”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know, I'm pretty sure I wrote this at like two in the morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, there's a lot going on in this chapter, and I'm not changing it now, so...

After Draco and Harry gathered up their things, they walked hand in hand down to the Dining Hall. At the entrance way, Harry leaned over and kissed Draco’s cheek, before heading over to sit with the Gryffindor table. Draco only smiled, squeezing his hand before letting him go and making his own way over to the Slytherin table.

“So, you and the Golden Boy have made up then?” Blaise asked as Draco took a seat next to him.

Draco frowned. “We were never fighting?”

“Seemed like it yesterday,” Pansy said on the other side of him. “It’s all anyone could talk about. Well, that and the fight he had with Hermione. Where’d you go when you left, anyways?”

Draco shrugged. “I went and found her. We talked for a bit.”

“And?” Blaise pushed.

Draco sighed. “And nothing. She’s okay, and so is Harry. Clearly, they still aren’t talking,” he said, nodding over to the Gryffindor table, where Hermione sat on one end with Lavender, Parvati, Ginny, a couple Quidditch players, and surprisingly Luna, while Harry sat on the other end with Ron, his dorm mates, the twins, and a couple others. “but, they’ll make up eventually. They both just need some time,”

Pansy looked skeptical, but Blaise seemed to have accepted Draco’s answer as enough and was now moving on to other things. “So, did you finish that Transfiguration assignment?”

\---

Herbology was Draco’s first class of the day, and it was one of the few he didn’t share with Harry, so time passed by pretty slowly. Next was Arithmancy, and while he also didn’t share this class with Harry, he _did_ share this class with Hermione, who then both had Care of Magical Creatures. On his way to said class, the Gryffindor met up with him in the stairwell.

“So, how are you and Harry?” Draco asked, after exchanging hello’s.

Hermione sighed. “Still not talking, but it’s for the best right now. We both need time,”

“That’s what I told Pansy and Blaise,” Draco said with an eye roll. “They’re both so dramatic,”

“Oh, and Ron and Harry aren’t?”

Draco laughed at that. “Can’t argue there. Think you’ll be okay in Magical Creatures?”

“I’m sure it’ll all work out. We’re not exactly avoiding one another,”

Draco frowned. “You two sat on opposite ends of the table this morning,”

Hermione actually blushed a little bit at that. “That actually wasn’t my doing. You know us Gryffindors, we tend to be a bit overprotective,”

“So, _that’s_ why some of those girls were throwing death glares at Harry,”

Hermione did chuckle a little at that. “I tried to reason with them, but whatever. They’ll get over it eventually,”

“And how’s Ron fairing over the breakup?” Draco teased.

Hermione swatted Draco’s shoulder. “Shut up!”

“Has he cried yet?”

“I will hex you,”

“I bet he has this master plan of how he’s going to get you two back together—”

“Draco!”

“—and then you’ll all be happy again, and sing and dance—”

“I’m serious!”

“—and eat cake and float on rainbows—”

Hermione cast a silencing charm on Draco. “I warned you,”

Draco frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

The rest of the walk to class was silent, Draco waving his arms around dramatically in an effort to communicate with Hermione, who just wasn’t having it. She did find the sight of a speechless, angry, Draco to be quite amusing however. She giggled the rest of the way to class, only ending the spell when they finally took their seats in Arithmancy, next to Pansy.

“…and my father will _definitely_ —oh! You can hear me,”

Pansy and Hermione broke out into a fit of laughter. “Merlin, but he _never_ shuts up!” Pansy wheezed.

“What was that about your father, Malfoy?” Hermione teased.

The girls then began to do terrible impressions of Draco saying, _“my father will hear about this”_ , causing the blond to blush furiously. He groaned, “I do not say it _all_ the time. And I don’t sound like that!” he practically whined.

The two girls continued to laugh, even after class started, silently snorting or breaking out into uncontrollable laughter again. Draco more than ever wished he could melt into the table.

\---

Care of Magical Creatures wasn’t all that bad, as they got to spend the class period playing with crups. In fact, Draco found himself becoming kind of attached to the one he was assigned. Harry seemed to take notice in this, of course.

“You could always get one as a pet,” he suggested.

“Cats, owls, and toads, Potter,” Draco drawled. “Nothing on the Hogwarts school materials list says anything about crups,”

Harry shrugged. “Well, later on then. After school, you know?”

Draco didn’t have the heart to tell him he wasn’t sure if he’d make it to “after school”.

\---

Charms went by in a blur, followed by Transfiguration, both classes Draco did not share with Harry as he had Herbology and then Astronomy. Draco sighed. Sure, he had Pansy and Blaise, and even Theo, but he missed his boyfriend too. He didn’t see himself as the clingy type, but it was almost as if he needed the Gryffindor to function. Well, not in a “I’m going to die without you” way, but more so as in he just didn’t feel…happy, without him around. He didn’t smile as much, and he rarely ever laughed, maybe a snicker or two at a joke here and there.

But only Harry could make him break out into uncontrollable laughter, or make him giggle, which Malfoy’s _never_ do. Only Harry understood all of his cat joke references. Only Harry told him the funniest stories about pranking his evil cousin Dudley. Only Harry ever made Draco feel this way.

That’s why he was thankful for Potions class.

Well, that was until Snape decided to split them up. “New unit, new partners, and no, you cannot partner up with someone you’ve already been partnered with!”

The class groaned as a whole, but tried to make do with what they had. Hermione and Pansy partnered up together, Harry got Neville, Dean and Seamus traded with Lavender and Parvati, and Draco…

Draco got paired with Ron.

“I don’t like this anymore than you do,” Ron began. “So, let’s just make this work,”

Draco nodded. “Right. For Harry’s sake.”

And it worked out pretty well. Turns out Pansy and Hermione were a powerful team. Not only did they finish their potion first, but they got it down to the precise temperature and shade of grey needed to perfectly execute the potion. Snape was highly impressed and gave them each five points.

“Snape being nice? To Gryffindors?!” Ron gaped.

“Hey, don’t jinx it,” Malfoy hissed. “And pay attention! Keep staring and she’ll start finding it weird,”

Ron looked skeptical. “What are you on exactly, Malfoy?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Please, anyone can tell you two like each other,”

Ron blushed madly, his skin clashing horribly with his hair. “Do not!”

“Yeah, and I can’t stand the sight of Potter,”

“Hey!” he said from two tables over. “I’m not _that_ bad looking!”

“Says the guy who thinks an eagle’s nest is a type of hairstyle.”

Harry glared. “Oh yeah? What’s yours called? Dye number 82?”

Draco gasped, dropping his freshly cut dragonhide. “Are you implying something, Potter?”

Harry mumbled something under his breath.

“What? You think I dye my hair? You think I’d do something so insulting as to put unwanted chemicals into _this_ masterpiece? Do you know how _long_ it takes to do this hair, Potter? Hmm? Oh, no, you wouldn’t, because _you—”_

“Oh, here he goes again,” Pansy said from behind him, rolled her eyes. “Way to go, Potter,”

“…you’ve never even _seen_ a comb, much less hair gel. And don’t even get me _started_ on your sense of fashion! Just because no one can see your socks doesn’t mean you can wear any ole combination you see fit! And another thing—”

“Someone should stop him,” Blaise commented from in front of him, not even looking up from his potion, almost sounding bored. “Otherwise, he’ll just keep going,”

“…and if I had a galleon for every time—”

“ _Yes_ , mister Malfoy, we get it,” Snape drawled. “You’re _so_ perfect. Now, get back to work!”

Draco abruptly shut his mouth, sending daggers towards Harry, who looked stuck between wanting to laugh and fearing for his life.

“I’d start getting your apology ready,” Theo said.

Harry gulped. The rest of the class carried on as normal, with Snape up at the front muttering to himself “why does every student rant or fight happen in _my_ class? Minerva _never_ has this problem!”. Some students snickered, others only rolling their eyes. Once Harry and Neville got to the point where all they had to do was sit and watch their potion boil for 11 minutes, Harry tried sending a note to Draco.

_You know I love your hair – H_

Harry waited a while for a response, repeatedly glancing across the room to see if Draco was writing anything, when he finally got a reply.

_Oh, don’t even try that with me Potter! – D_

Harry quickly wrote back a response. _But it’s so shiny and sleek! – H_

_It’s called personal care and hygiene! – D_

_Your hair is perfect, just like you <3 – H_

Okay, sending a heart was a bit risky, but he hoped it would get his point across.

_Don’t get cute with me Potter, I will hex you into next year – D_

Oh, so that _definitely_ didn’t work. _Come on Drake! – H_

Harry sent the letter, still taking glances over at Draco while he and Neville tried to work on their potion. The look on Draco’s face, however, when he read the newest note, told Harry he had just made things significantly worse.

_What…did you just call me? – D_

Harry frantically scratched out what he had written on the line above.

_What? I said Draco! Ever heard of a typo? – H_

_Typo my arse, call me that again, and I will cut your bollocks off and send them to the Dark Lord himself! – D-r-a-c-o_

Harry now felt terrified for his life, but at the same time figured, why not?

_Alright...how do you feel about Dray? – H_

Draco read the note, looked up at Harry, and with the straightest face mouthed, “Fuck you, Harold,” and then sent the note back without even writing a reply.

_Oh, har har, my name isn’t Harold, btw. It’s Harry. – H_

_Oh, don’t tell me it’s something weird like Henry or Harrison? – D_

_Nope…just Harry… - H_

_Not even Harrington or Harrell? – D_

_Harrington?! Wow, you’ve got me – H_

_What even is this conversation? – D_

_Who knows? My potion is turning yellow :( - H_

_Um… it’s not supposed to? – D_

_So, help me! – H_

_Sorry, ~~Harrington~~ Harry, you’re on your own – ~~Drake~~ Draco_

_You’re not funny – H_

_And you’re an asshole – D_

They didn’t send each other anymore notes after that, as Harry and Neville were trying to correct their potion, and Draco was trying to educate Ron on the difference between dragon’s blood and salamander blood.

After class was over, Harry tried talking to Draco, but he just ignored him, making his way to their next class which was History of Magic. He walked really fast too, so Harry couldn’t keep up with him, although he couldn’t complain much at the view that was being provided to him.

Harry shook his head. _Not now!_

Once Harry arrived in class, taking a seat next to a brooding Draco, he leaned over and pecked his cheek. “You know I didn’t mean it,”

Draco glared out of the corner of his eye. “Which part? Me dying my hair? Or calling me—”

“All of it!” Harry said. “You know I was just teasing you,”

Draco rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t funny,”

Harry pouted. “I know that now, though. I’m sorry, really,” Draco didn’t seem convinced. Harry leaned his head on Draco’s shoulder. “Come one Draco!” he only grunted. “Please?” Draco didn’t say anything.

Harry took his hand and used it to turn Draco’s head so that he could stare into his eyes. “Please? Draco, I said I was sorry!”

“And I don’t forgive you!” he sneered.

Harry’s eyes widened in growing alarm. “Come on, Hermione already hates me, not you too…”

Draco didn’t say anything, only turned away again. Harry sighed, leaning his head against Draco’s shoulder again. “You can’t stay mad at me forever,” Draco grunted. “You know you like me,” Harry tried again. Draco still didn’t respond.

Harry huffed, sitting up straight again. “Fine, you overdramatic Slytherin! I’ll do your Transfiguration homework for a week, write your DADA essay, _and_ I’ll cover your Prefect duties Friday so you can sneak off and do…whatever it is you do with Pansy, Blaise, and Theo.

Draco gave Harry a sickeningly sweet smile. “You are forgiven,” he said, giving his boyfriend a peck on the cheek.

Harry rolled his eyes, but gave a silent sigh of relief. “Thank _Merlin!_ ”

\---

After dinner, but before he was supposed to go meet with Harry, Draco ended up running into Hermione. “Come on! I’ve got a plan,”

“Wait, what?” Draco said, as Hermione grabbed him by the hand and started dragging him towards the entrance hall, a reluctant Ron behind them. “Hermione, wait! What about Harry? I’m supposed to—”

“I know, don’t worry, I’ve got it covered. Besides, he’s got Occlumency lessons with Snape soon, that’ll buy us some extra time,”

Draco actually turned around to send a pleading look to Ron, but he just shrugged as they made their way outside the castle. “Some help you are,” Draco sneered at the red-head.

Ron held his hands up defensively. “I don’t want to be here anymore than you do,”

“Zip it, you two!” Hermione hissed. “We don’t want to get caught,”

So, the three of them made their way across the grounds, it becoming very clear that they were heading towards Hagrid’s hut. Draco’s stomach began to sink as this information began to process in his head. “Hermione! This is _not_ a good idea!”

“I said hush!” she insisted.

Draco groaned, starting to feel sick. Ron had the decency to look a tiny bit apologetic. Draco didn’t want to do this. Hagrid must _hate_ him. Sure, he didn’t really care for the half giant, but that didn’t mean he was ready to confront him!

Draco sure hoped Hermione knew what she was doing.

Once they arrived at Hagrid’s front door, barking could immediately be heard coming from the inside, no doubt from Fang. It didn’t take long before the door swung wide open, and out came a tall, looming figure.

“Ron, Hermione, Harr—Oi, wait a minute!”

Draco blushed sheepishly. “Uh, no, not Harry. Hi, Hagrid,”

Hagrid seemed at a loss for words, but apparently, Hermione didn’t have time to dilly dally as she pushed her way through, still leading Draco by the arm, dragging him along with her, and Ron bringing up the rear.

Hagrid closed the door behind them, still looking highly confused. Even Fang seemed unsure of what to do, as he went and sat by Ron’s side. All three students kind of looked around the room at each other, before Draco cleared his throat, sending a pointed look at Hermione.

“Oh! Right,” she said. “Hagrid, there’s a reason that we’ve come down to see you,”

“Oh, well I figured as much!” the half giant said, looking pleased to have familiar faces visiting him again after so long. “And I have much to tell yer’ but as you might be able to tell, I’ma bit confused by all this! Where’s Harry? And what’s Malfoy doin down ‘ere? Why are all of yer’ together in the first place anyhow?”

Hermione nodded in understanding. “Yes, it’s a lot to explain, but we don’t have time for that, we can go into detail later. All you need to know is that Harry couldn’t be here with us right now, and we trust Malfoy. Whatever you have to tell us, you can tell it to Malfoy too,”

Draco looked at Hermione, taken aback. She seemed confident in her response, and her facial expression left no room for argument. Ron seemed to be just as in awe as he was. Draco was finding a new respect for Hermione, and suddenly found himself wondering why they hadn’t become friends sooner.

“Alright, I can accept that,” Hagrid said sitting down. “What is it yer want to know?”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, I _may_ be starting to run out of chapters... but that's okay! That just means my updates won't be coming as fast, but I've still got a few stored, and I'm working on a particularly long chapter right now, so no worries!

Harry felt utterly exhausted after his Occlumency lesson with Snape, but he had finally been able to efficiently block him out of his head, and he wanted nothing more than to go run and tell his boyfriend about it. It was getting pretty late, however, and he wasn’t sure if Draco would even be at the Room of Requirement this late at night. Luckily for him though, he had a way around a situation like this.

After leaving Snape’s office, Harry snuck around the corner and into a dark alcove, pulling out both his invisibility cloak and the Marauder’s Map. After uttering the spell to open the map, he began scanning the page for the Slytherin. It took him a while, and he was beginning to wonder if he really was in the Room of Requirement, when he spotted his dot entering back inside of the castle.

Harry made a face at that, but then shrugged it off. _He must have gone for a walk around the lake or something…_

The thought lead him to an idea, but he’d have to save it for later. For now, he figured he’d try and intercept Draco before he made it back completely to his dorm. Harry exited out of the alcove, careful not to run into anybody as he made his way towards the front of the castle.

\---

Draco snuck back into the castle, having split up from Ron and Hermione, less they get caught. Draco closed the hall door behind him, sighing a breath of relief, as he began to make his way back down to the dungeons. He was dead tired, and he figured if Harry had Occlumency lessons with Snape, he probably wouldn’t be in the Room of Requirement anyways, so there was no point in trying to go up there.

He had just rounded the corner that would lead him down towards the Slytherin common room, when he was swept aside into a dimly lit deadend hallway. Arms embraced him, and he was thrown against the nearest wall. He was caught by surprise, and was about to let out a yelp when warm lips were pressed to his own.

Draco immediately relaxed into the familiar touch, leaning in and responding to the urgent kiss. He could feel warm hands sliding down his body and Draco couldn’t help but to shiver at the touch. He took his hands and plunged them into thick curly hair, and sighed in contentment.

Harry pulled away, gasping. “Hey,”  
Draco lidded his eyes, breathing heavily. “Hey… _hey!”_ he said, finally coming to, and whacking the Gryffindor. “What are you doing! I almost had a heart attack!”

Harry laughed sheepishly, beginning to blush. “Sorry. I saw you walking this way, and I just…needed to see you,”

Draco smiled. “Miss me, eh?”

“Maybe a little,”

The two boys laughed, Draco moving his arms to rest around Harry’s neck, while Harry’s hands stayed on Draco’s hips. “I wanted to tell you something,” Harry said. “But, I didn’t think you’d be in the Room of Requirement.”

“No, I forgot you had an Occlumency lesson, so I just went for a walk around the castle for a while. How’d you find me, anyways?” Harry blushed, removing one of his hands to take out his Marauder’s Map. Draco’s eyes widened. “Merlin, you weren’t kidding!”

“Nope. We are also currently under my invisibility cloak,” Harry said, reaching his hand up and pulling the cloak off of them, revealing the transparent cloth to Draco.

His eyes widened even farther. “I want to ask…but I’m scared,”

Harry laughed. “I got the cloak from my dad on Christmas my first year. I got the map two years ago from the twins,”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Figures,”

Harry rolled his eyes, moving to sit on the window sill in the dim hallway they currently stood in. There was a window there, looking out at the grounds, and Harry sat on the cold stone, his back against the window. Draco looked around their surroundings, before hopping up next to him. Harry immediately scooted closer to him, resting his head on Draco’s shoulder. In return, Draco wrapped an around Harry’s shoulder, leaning his own head on top of Harry’s.

“I blocked Snape out of my mind,” Harry whispered quietly.

Draco looked down at Harry in surprise. “You what?”

Harry shrugged with one shoulder. “Yeah, I mean it wasn’t _too_ impressive. I could only hold him off for so long — maybe three or so seconds — and then he was back in again.”

“Harry…Snape is a skilled Occlumens, and you _blocked him_ out of your mind! I don’t care if it only lasted a tenth of a second, that’s incredible!”

Harry turned his head, looking up at Draco. “Really?”

_“Yes!_ Harry, really!” Draco said, swooping down and pressing a burning kiss to Harry’s lips.

Harry moaned into the kiss, sitting up and grabbing Draco’s face, deepening the kiss. Draco smirked, wrapping both hands around Harry’s middle, before pulling away. 

“You’re learning really fast. I’m very proud of you,”

Harry blushed madly, tucking his head under Draco’s chin. “Thanks,”

Draco laughed. “Why are you being shy?” Harry shrugged, nuzzling Draco’s neck. “Come on, Harry” Draco said, hugging the boy tight in his arms. “What’s up?”  
Harry continued to blush, wrapping his arms around Draco’s body, holding him tighter.

“Harry,” Draco whined. “Come back up here!” Harry shook his head, placing a kiss against Draco’s neck. Draco hummed. “Harry, please?” Harry continued trailing kisses across Draco’s neck, causing him to let out a tiny moan. “Harry, I want to kiss you, please look at me?”

Harry slowly pulled away from his hiding spot, blushing madly as he stared up into grey eyes. Draco smiled down at him, raking one of his hands through Harry’s hair, bending down to place a kiss on those awaiting lips. “Harry,” he whispered against them.

Harry inhaled deeply. “Draco…” he whispered back.

“Why are you acting like a Hufflepuff?”

Harry’s blush deepened, spreading to the tips of his ears and down his neck. “I don’t know. It’s just…I’m not used to compliments from you. Plus, everyone just assumes I’m good at everything because I’m Harry Potter, so when you say stuff like that…I don’t know, it just means a whole lot more to me. _You_ mean a whole lot more to me.”

Draco smiled, stealing another kiss from Harry. He suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion, and he didn’t know what to do. He was afraid he was going to burst with the feeling, so he just decided to kiss him instead.

Harry moaned into the kiss once more, wanting nothing more than to just sit there, wrapped up in Draco’s arms. He felt so…loved…if that was the word he was looking for. Draco giving him praise, showering him with kisses, it made Harry feel on top of the world, and this kiss held so much more than that. It was powerful and intense, it made him shiver from the sheer power of it.

Draco pulled away again, gasping. “Harry, I…”

Harry placed their foreheads together, both of their eyes closed. “I know,”

Draco shook his head, laughing as he tried to find the words. “No, I…Harry…”

“Shh,” Harry said, opening his eyes, and caressing Draco’s cheek with his thumb. “I know,”

Draco opened his eyes too, staring into almost luminescent emerald eyes. “I just…I feel…”

Harry nodded, smiling as he placed a kiss on Draco’s forehead. “I know, me too,”

“Really?” Draco asked, looking so vulnerable in that moment.

Harry smiled, shaking his head, giving Draco a much softer and relaxing kiss. “Really,” he said, pulling away again. “more than anything,”

Draco smiled, laughing as his eyes began to water. He closed his eyes, leaning in again, foreheads touching, their noses rubbing together. “You drive me crazy, you know that?”

“Hmm, and you me for these past five years and counting,”

Draco laughed, biting his lip. Harry leaned in for another kiss, pulling Draco’s bottom lip out from between his teeth and sucking on the swollen flesh. Draco moaned as Harry’s tongue ran across his lip, soothing it in the process. Draco parted his lips, and when Harry’s tongue entered his mouth, Draco felt in total bliss. Nothing else mattered but the boy he was holding in his arms, and the kiss proved that and more.

Eventually, the time came where they needed to stop for air, and when they pulled apart, they were breathing heavily. Both their hair was a mess, they were blushing, and their lips were bright red and swollen. They sat there like that for a few moments, eyes closed and foreheads touching, just relishing in the moment.

“I should go back to my dorm,” Draco said, once their breathing was back to normal.

Harry nodded, not wanting to move away from Draco, but knowing that they had to get up before they were inevitably caught by someone. “Do you want me to walk you back?” he asked, finally standing up, holding out a hand to help Draco up as well.

Draco blushed, grasping Harry’s hand in his as the Gryffindor pulled him up. “No, I’ll be okay,” he said, giving Harry one last kiss. “Besides, if you come with me, I might not let you leave,”

Harry blushed, his mind racing at the implications. “Oh?”

Draco’s signature smirk was back. He didn’t say anything, only sent Harry a sly wink as he began to slowly walk out of the corridor. “Night Potter,” he said, blowing him a kiss, before exiting out of the side hallway.

Harry sighed, leaning against the wall as he watched his boyfriend leave.

He was in too deep.

\---

Harry and Hermione didn’t really speak to each other for the next week or so. In that time frame, while Hermione and Draco seemed to be developing their friendship, Harry took that time to re-identify with himself. He distanced himself away from most others, including Ron and Draco for the most part. Of course he and Ron still shared a free period, and Harry still had a couple classes with Draco, and he was more than happy to spend some time with the blond.

However, he notice their meetings were a lot shorter, neither of them staying around too long. Unknown to Harry, Draco would sometimes leave early so that he and Hermione could come up with ways to get Harry to see Dumbledore or they’d run off with Ron to go see Hagrid. Harry didn’t really care, didn’t really notice even. He mostly just sits and thinks.

_What’s going on with me? Why am I so snippy some days and totally over the moon with happiness on other days? Sure, I’m a normal teenage boy, but this is starting to get ridiculous!_ Part of him worried if it was somehow Voldemort trying to mess with his head, but he somehow doubted it. Even if Ron _did_ often point it out to him.

“What do my tea leaves say?” Harry asked Ron one day in Divination,”

“Well, I see something in the shape of bagpipes, which means a warning of disturbance and agitation, and you also have something that looks like an alligator, meaning personal danger from someone who's close to you—but! If I turn the cup this way…” Ron said, turning the cup almost upside down, “It looks like an arm, which signifies love and protection. So…” Ron thought for a moment. “You’re in danger, possibly from someone close to you, but they also love and want to protect you,”

“Hmm…we should throw something in there about Mars exploding,”

“Good idea,”

It was just a class, and Harry could have cared less. What he was more concerned with was how he was going to make up his rude behavior to Hermione. She was one of his best friends. She was smart and outgoing, and he needed her back on his side. He knew both her and Draco were right; about Occlumency, going to talk to Dumbledore, and being open with them about Voldemort. But it was hard, he didn’t want to worry them.

He knew he should do better, but it was hard. Sometimes all he wanted to do was forget; forget about war, Voldemort, Umbridge, school even. He just wanted to play quidditch, snog Draco, and get a good night’s sleep. Was that too much to ask for?

Harry sighed, closing his textbook. He’d been reading the same sentence for the past hour, his eyes starting to glaze over. All he could seem to focus on was how his attitude was affecting others. He’d told Seamus off the other day for playing his muggle music in the dorm too loudly, and he’d been sending Harry wary looks ever since. And because he and Dean were practically a thing, that meant that Dean was now shooting Harry glares here and there for upsetting his crush. Even Neville was starting to steer clear of him.

“Sorry, I’ve got Herbology homework to catch up on, I’ll see you later Harry!”

Even Harry wasn’t too dense to realize that Herbology was Neville’s top subject at Hogwarts. Even Ron was starting to get tired of all the drama. He’d been there when Harry and Hermione had ceased all communication, and when Draco started spending less and less time with Harry, Ron still stood by his side through it all. He was a great friend, and Harry really did appreciate it, but apparently, even Ron could only take so much.

“I can’t stand to see you like this mate,” he’d said one night while they had been playing chess in the common room, Hermione nowhere to be seen. “One minute you're all bright smiles, and the next you're all dark and brooding,”

Harry shrugged. “I can’t help it. Mood swings, I guess.”

“Yeah, but…you’ve been like this since you came to Grimmauld place over the summer,” Ron said, moving one of his rooks. “I mean, you show up, angry and screaming, nearly giving Hermione a heart attack, and then you insist upon joining the Order. We get to school, and not much has changed.”

Harry frowned. “That was different,”

“But was it though?” Ron said, raising an eyebrow. “You’re still pissed off at Dumbledore, you’re constantly in a bad mood, you’re keeping secrets, and on top of that, you haven’t come clean about the visions.”

“I’m not having visions!”

“But you are having nightmares, have you told anybody about that?” Ron accused.

Harry went to reply, but then stopped short. “Wait, how do you—”

“Harry, I’m you’re _best friend!_ We share a dorm room together, and you spend every summer over at my house, I _think_ I can tell when you’re having a nightmare. Plus, you’ve had one almost every night now for the past month or so.” Ron concluded. “So, what’s going on?”

Harry rapidly began looking for an acceptable excuse, before giving up with a sigh. “Half the time I can’t even remember them; they’re just blurs. I didn’t even know I _was_ having nightmares, until one night I woke up in a cold sweat. I didn’t know what was happening, I just felt relieved that it was over,” he said. “They have started to get worse though,”

“Well, maybe that’s why you’re in such a bad mood all the time!” Ron said, as if that answered everything. “Maybe if we could figure out how to make you stop having nightmares, you wouldn’t be so grumpy all the time.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry, mate,” Ron said sheepishly. “Hey, has Draco noticed? I mean, obviously Hermione doesn’t know, but has he said anything to you?”

Harry paused, thinking. “No, but…honestly, we haven’t really slept together,” he said, blushing a bright red. “I mean! No, not like that! Well, actually, we kind of did? No, wait, that sounds bad too, I mean—”

“I don’t want to know!” Ron said, waving his arms around frantically. “Spare me the details, please!”

Harry sighed. “On nights that I don’t come back up to the tower, I do end up falling asleep with him in the Room of Requirement, but usually on opposite sides of the room. In fact, last time it happened was the first time we’d ever fallen asleep together on the couch that had magically appeared. We hadn’t done anything!” he said to the look on Ron’s face. “But, still…it was actually the best I had slept in a while. I hadn’t thought about it until now,”

Ron shrugged, trying to erase all of the unwanted mental pictures. “Well, maybe that’s it. You just need a sleeping buddy,”

Harry thought that was kind of weird, but hey, maybe it could work. But how was he supposed to test out that theory? He shared a room with four other boys and clearly that wasn’t helping. “So, what am I supposed to do? Share a bed with you?”

Both boys stared at each other for a long moment. “Um…not _exactly_ what I had in mind, no.” Ron said.

Harry looked defeated. “Well that’s just great! I’m doomed. Thanks a lot for the help, Ron,” he said, rolling his eyes, moving his bishop to take one of Ron’s pawns.

“See? There you go again with the attitude.”

“I can’t help it! Everything is just so irritating!”

Ron looked tired. “Look, you can be mad and snippy all you want to be, all I’m saying is if enough people take it the wrong way, you won’t be left with anyone else to care,” and then he put Harry’s king in check. “I’m going to bed,”

“Ron, wait—”

“I gotta finish studying for that History of Magic test tomorrow, but I’ll see you in the morning at breakfast,” he said as he climbed up the stairs and was gone out of sight.

Harry picked up a chess piece and threw it across the room as hard as he could. He was angry, tired, and confused. He just wanted everything to be okay again.

\---

Harry had been walking to Divination, wanting to get there early, and not feeling like waiting for Ron to finish up lunch, when he ran into both Hermione and Draco on their way to Arithmancy.

“…I think that’s a good idea,” Draco was saying. “That way there isn’t a way out.”

“Exactly!” Hermione said, smiling wide. “No more running, they’d have to—oh!” They both rounded the corner and were faced with the bespeckled boy. “Hi Harry,”

“Hey scarhead,” Draco teased.

Harry rolled his eyes, smiling at Hermione. “Hey, can we talk?”

Hermione and Draco shared a look, almost as if they were mentally communicating with one another, before Hermione shrugged and Draco nodded. “I’ll meet you in class,” he said to Hermione, before turning to wave at Harry, “bye four-eyes,”

“I honestly hate you,” Harry said, but he was laughing.

“You adore me,” Draco said, blowing Harry a kiss, who caught it in return.

“You two are utterly adorable, it’s downright sickening,” Hermione teased.

Harry laughed. “I know, but I can’t help it, I mean, have you _seen_ him?”

“Oh yes, he’s just absolutely _gorgeous_!” Hermione fake swooned.

“I want to punch him, but I also want to kiss him? It’s very confusing.”

Hermione giggled. “Sounds like the same issue you’ve been having for the past five years or so,”

Harry swatted at her shoulder. “Oh whatever,”

Hermione giggled. “You know it’s true! You’ve liked him since day one!”

“Have not!”

“Oh, you so have, don’t even try to deny it!”

“Oh, and what about you and Ron?”

“What about us?”

Harry raised an eyebrow, causing Hermione to blush madly. Both stared at each other for a what seemed like forever, before cracking, breaking into another fit of giggles. Those passing by in the hallway seemed both confused and happy to see the two getting along again. Once the laughter subsided, the two sobered up a bit.

“Hermione, I—”

“Don’t mention it,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s in the past,”

“But I feel awful,”

“I know,”

“I need to make it up to you,”

Hermione smiled, somewhat mischievously. “Oh, don’t worry. You will,”

Harry looked slightly alarmed. “What are you up to?”

Hermione only shrugged, but she didn’t look any less sinister. “Nothing to worry about now. I got to head to class, but we’ll talk later, I promise!” and then she too, was gone out of sight.

Harry sighed, shaking his head. Things were about to get a lot harder before they get any easier.

\---

“Hermione has something planned,” Harry said to Draco as they sat in History of Magic together.

“I’ve no idea what you mean,” Draco said, his head resting in the palm of his hand as he tried to take a nap.

“She’s acting awfully weird,” Harry concluded.

Draco cracked opened an eye to glance a look at the Gryffindor in front of them, dutifully taking notes. He snorted, closing his eyes again. “Is not, now let me sleep,”

Harry huffed. “Of course _you_ don’t see it,”

Draco gave Harry a side glare. “And what’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Nothing,”

Draco sighed. “Here we go again,”

“What?”

“You! With the attitude,” Draco said, frowning at Harry.

“What did I do now?” Harry hissed.

“You’re being an arsehole, stop worrying about Hermione, and let _me_ sleep!”

Harry scoffed. “Since when do you call her Hermione, anyways?”

“What, is there a problem with me calling her Hermione, _Harry?”_

“You don’t call Ron by his first name,”

“Why should I?”

“Exactly!” Harry said, clearly irritated. “What makes Hermione so special?”

“She’s my friend, what, are you jealous?”

“Should I be? And she was my friend first,”

“So?

“So, back off!” Harry sneered.

Draco’s eyes flew opened, and they flared, making Harry flinch, but he didn’t back down.

“Do I tell you not to hang out with Pansy?” Draco hissed.

“Well, no, but—”

“Do I tell you not to study in the library with Theo?”

“That’s only because—”

“Do I say anything when you and Blaise go off to play one on one quidditch in the courtyard?”

“He and I—”

“Then shut your mouth and mind your own business, _Potter_ ,” Draco sneered back, turning his body away from Harry’s and closing his eyes again. “I’m going to sleep,”

“But I—”

_“Goodnight!”_

\---

Harry couldn’t stop thinking about what Hermione had said to him all day. _What exactly was she talking about? How am I supposed to make up being a jerk to her? She didn’t seem upset, but this is Hermione we’re talking about._ Harry was nervous, to say the least.

That night when he arrived to the Room of Requirement, not only was Draco there, but Hermione and Ron as well. Harry was taken aback. “What are you guys doing here?”

Draco stepped forward from the group. “A little change in plans tonight,” he said, reaching out to hold Harry’s hand.

Harry jumped back a bit. “What’s going on?”

“Harry, we’re doing this for your own good,” Hermione said.

“Don’t make us do this the hard way,” Ron said.

“What are you guys on about?” Harry asked, becoming concerned. “What’s going on?”

“Harry, will you just come with us?” Draco asked, stepping closer to the Gryffindor again. “We don’t want to hurt you.”

“Hurt me? What do you guys have planned? Draco, what’s going on?”  
“Harry calm down,” Hermione said.

“Not until you guys answer me!” Harry stated firmly.

Ron sighed. “Just do it, Mione’”

Draco nodded, looking back at the two friends.

Hermione sighed. “Sorry, Harry,” and before Harry could respond, he was hit with a stunning and unconscious spell.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth is revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens...

When Harry came to, he was sitting in a plush arm chair. Across from him stood Hermione, leaning against a desk, chewing on her bottom lip. Ron stood off to the side, as if on guard, and Draco sat the on the arm of the chair on either side of Harry.

“Look who's finally awake,” the blond said.

“Where am I?” Harry asked groggily, rubbing his scar.

Hermione looked guilty. “Dumbledore’s office,”

Harry shot up, and Draco leaned over, pushing him back down. _“What?!”_

“Harry, we’re sorry—”

“I’m not,” Draco muttered.

“—but we had to!” Hermione finished. “This is getting out of hand!”

“But I don’t want to be here!” Harry hissed. “And I most certainly do not want to see _him!_ ”

“Harry!” Draco said, struggling to hold the boy down. “Stay still!”

“No! Let me _go!_ ”

_“Incarcerous!”_ Hermione shouted, pointing her wand at Harry, who was immediately bound in ropes.

“Hermione!” Ron gaped.

“Sorry! I’m sorry!” she cried. “I had to!”

Draco let go of Harry, now that he was stable. “You need to calm down,”

“I will do _no_ such thing!” Harry spat. “Explain yourselves, _now!_ ”

Draco, Ron, and Hermione all looked around at each other in equal amounts of guilt and shame, before turning back to Harry.

“We, um…well,” Hermione began.

“To put it simply…” Ron said.

“We’ve kind of been…” Draco trailed off.

“If somebody doesn’t tell me what’s going on in the next five seconds, I am going to _lose it!_ ” Harry snarled.

“Oh, alright!” Hermione said, caving. “We’ve been having secret meetings!”

Harry stopped struggling to look gobsmacked. “What?”

Hermione sighed. “Me, Ron and Draco! Every day for the past week or so we’ve been going to see Hagrid and we’ve been meeting up in the library, doing research and trying to figure out what’s been going on with you,”

Harry shook his head. “You’re kidding,”

“It’s true mate,” Ron said with a deflated shrug. “You’ve been acting a little all over the place lately, we just want to know why,”

“Your mood swings have been driving us all mad,” Draco said. “We’re just a little concerned is all,”

Harry stared at the three students in question. And then he started to laugh. Hermione looked startled, Draco frowned, and Ron just looked confused. “No, no no,” Harry said, still laughing. “There’s no way, _no way_ , that my two best friends and my boyfriend, have been sneaking around behind my back without me knowing,”

At the downcast, guilty looks the three gave each other, none of them willing to meet Harry’s eyes, answered all his questions. Harry stopped laughing. “Ron?” he wouldn’t look at him. “Hermione?” she looked on the verge of tears. He turned to the only Slytherin in the room. “Draco?”

Draco bit his lip. “Harry I…we’re doing this because we care,”

“Because you _care?_ ,” he said, his scar starting to burn. “If you cared, you would have come to me, not run off behind my back with my friends and—”

“No, Harry, it’s not like that,” Hermione said.

“Then what is it like?” Harry shot back, turning his attention to her. “And since when are you two best friends anyways? Haven’t you forgotten your supposed to hate each other?”

“Oh, that’s rich, coming from you, Harry” Ron said, rolling his eyes. “You’re the one dating the ferret,”

“He called her a mudblood, or are we just forgetting that?”

Hermione gasped. “Harry!”

“What, it’s true!” he said glaring at Hermione again. “You think he cares about you? If we weren’t together, he’d probably still be just as much as an arse now as he was before,”

“Harry, what the bloody hell?” Ron said. “What is your problem?”

“My _problem_ is that you all are acting as if you guys are the best of friends, when none of you would even be _talking_ to each other if it wasn’t for me!”

The room was suddenly very silent. Much like in potions class, the weight of everything that had just been said was slowly starting to sink in. Hermione was already crying, Ron and Harry both looked beyond angry, their faces bright red and breathing heavily.

“We’ve been going to see Hagrid,” Ron began. “You know, he asks about you all the time, but you wouldn’t know, or care about that, would you? And Hermione? She’s missed you, and she was really happy earlier about the two of you talking again. And Malfoy here?” Ron said, pointing over to Draco, who Harry had all but forgotten about. “He never bloody shuts up about you. How great you are and how much he loves being around you.” He said. “But you’ve gone and pushed everyone away now.”

Harry was still mad, but he chanced a glance over to where Draco stood, and immediately wished he hadn’t. The blond was in complete and utter shock. He was paler than usual, and he was biting his lip, whether to prevent himself from yelling or crying, Harry didn’t know. Possibly even both. But the look in his eyes is what hurt the most.

“I told you, I bloody _told you_ , if you kept acting the way you were, you’d end up pushing everybody away, and now you have,” Ron concluded. “I’m gonna go wait for Dumbledore outside,” he said, before stomping off.

Hermione frantically began wiping at her eyes, shaking herself a bit, pretending to dust off her skirt or fix her hair, anything to avoid this awkward and emotional situation. “Yes, Ron, you do that. I’ll um…I’ll go see…” she didn’t have a thought to finish that sentence, so she just turned and walked to the other side of the room to examine a bookshelf over there.

By now, Draco had reset his face. He was void of all emotion, and he wouldn’t look Harry in the eyes. Instead, he just stood against Dumbledore’s desk, examining his nails, as if everything wasn’t slowly falling apart.

“Draco, I—”

“Oh, fuck _off_ Potter,” Draco snapped in an instant, not even bothering to meet Harry’s gaze as he pushed off the desk and made his way over to Hermione.  
Harry sunk down in the plush chair—at least as far as he could go while still bound in ropes. He closed his eyes and hoped for the chair to just swallow him up whole.

\---

Hermione stood in the corner of Dumbledore’s office, silently crying when Draco found his way over to him.

“I’m going to kill him,” he muttered under his breath, visibly shaking.

Hermione, also shaking, quickly wiped at her eyes. “He doesn’t mean it, I _know_ he doesn’t!” she sobbed. “I just know there’s more to this than there seems to be,”

“You may just be right, Miss Granger,” said a familiar voice. Everyone turned in time to see Dumbledore enter inside of the room, followed by Ron. “And I think I may know what that something else is,”

“Great!” Draco said sarcastically. “Mind informing us on what that might be?”

“Ah, all in due time, Mister Malfoy, but first, I do believe I shall allow Harry to go first,”  
“What?!” Ron said. “Why him?”

“Because, while I haven’t been that straightforward with you all, I feel I owe it to Harry to allow him to give me his questions first. After all, I have been avoiding the young man, and he deserves to know why,”

Ron huffed. “I guess,”

“Therefore, I must ask you all to excuse us,”

“But!” Draco started.

“Professor Dumbledore!” Hermione finished.

“No buts.” Dumbledore said. “You can all wait in my back office over there in the corner,” he said, pointing to the door on the other side of the room. “I will come get you when the time comes for you to join us,”

The lot didn’t seem happy about it, but they made their way over to the side office anyway.

Once they were gone behind the door, Dumbledore casted a couple of spells and then turned his attention to Harry. “Right. Ask away, then,”

\---

Ron, Draco, and Hermione all entered into Dumbledore’s side office. It was much smaller, but otherwise almost exactly the same as the one outside. There were comfy chairs, a wide desk, portraits of past Hogwarts professors and even another post for Fawkes to sit on. The three students all looked around at each other.

“Well… what now?” Draco asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Hermione sniffed, wiping at her eyes again. “I don’t know. Wait and see what happens, I guess.”

Ron shook his head. “No, I’ve got a better Idea,” he said, reaching into his pocket and unshrinking what he found. “I figured these might come in handy.”

Hermione wanted to scold him, but decided to hug him instead. “Extendable ears! Ron, you’re a genius!”

“Yes, yes, the new saviour of our generation, can we get back to the situation at hand?” Draco said.

“You’re lucky Harry likes you so much,” Ron said, but he was smiling as he passed around the magical ears.

“So, how do these work?” Draco asked.

“You just place one end up to your ear, and the other to the door. It’ll be as if we’re standing right next to them,” Ron explained.

The three gathered their ear pieces and huddled up against the door, waiting for something to happen.

\---

“I have nothing to say to you,” Harry sneered.

Dumbledore nodded in understanding. “Be that as it may, I still feel as though I have some explaining to do. You are curious as to why I’ve been in and out of the castle?”

“Because you’re avoiding me?” Harry spat.

“Well, that is part of the reason, but it goes a bit deeper than that,”

“I don’t care,” Harry cut him off, starting to shake. “I just want to go back to my dorm.”

“And you will, in due time, Harry. In due time,”

“Why can’t you just leave me alone!” Harry shouted. “I’ve been doing just fine without you here! And why do you care all of a sudden now anyways? It’s not like you're ever here for me, it’s not like you’ve _ever_ been here for me!” Harry ranted.

Dumbledore nodded. “I know I have not always treated you under the… _best_ circumstances, but you have to understand—”

“There’s nothing here for me to understand!” Harry yelled, shaking violently, his scar burning white hot. “You’re a liar and I hate you!”

“Now now, Tom, don’t you think hate is a bit of a strong word?”

Harry continued to shake violently in his seat. “I’ve no idea what your on, old man,”

“Ah, but you do. See, I know you Tom, and I know that you’ve been planning something.”

Harry shook his head. “You’ve gone crazy. Mad!”

“Oh, but have I?” Dumbledore asked, his eyes beginning to twinkle.

Harry growled, his eyes flashing red. “Fuck off!”

“Now, now Tom—”

“You will address me as Lord Voldemort!” Harry bellowed. “That is my name!”

“Why do you torture this poor boy?” Dumbledore asked. “What gain does it grant you?”

“I can’t read his mind anymore,” Harry sneered. “Damn Gryffindor! I thought maybe this could work. So far it had been, until those sneaky _friends_ of his started getting in my way,”

“This cannot be a suitable lifestyle for you, though,” Dumbledore continued. “You must be exhausted, I can only imagine how the boy must feel.”

“Who cares about the boy!” Harry spat, red eyes flashing. “He’s not here right now!”

“Yes, he is Tom,” Dumbledore said calmly. “You’re overpowering him though. I suggest you leave him at once,”

“I don’t listen to orders, I _give_ orders!” Harry said, voice dripping with venom. “This body may not be sustainable for my long term gain, but I—” Harry stopped speaking, as he began to rapidly gasp for air.

“Tom? Harry?” Dumbledore asked.

“Get him out, get him out!” Harry cried, his eyes no longer a piercing red.

“Tom, let him go!” Dumbledore demanded.

Harry continued to shake. “Is he inside of me? What’s happening? Get him _out!_ ”

“Tom! You need to let go!”

“I will do no such thing!” Harry said, eyes flashing red again. “I almost had complete control! I’m so close!”

“Tom, he’s too powerful—”

“Lies!” Harry seethed. “How can this mere boy be more powerful than me? I am the Dark Lord!”

“He has a power much stronger than yours, Tom,” Dumbledore said. “He’ll beat you with it every time.”

“If it’s love you speak of, then you’re wrong!” Harry said, his voice becoming weaker, as his body started to calm down. “Love won’t save him,”

“Love is the greatest power in the world Tom. It holds so many powers within itself. Love creates and it destroys. Maybe one day, you’ll see it too,”

“I love no one, and I trust no one!” Harry growled, as he started to cough. “I’ll be back, Albus, do you hear me? I’ll be back!” and then Harry gave a great gasp, before his body hunched over, his head hanging down against his chest.

“Harry? Harry, are you alright?” Dumbledore asked, releasing his bonds.

Harry fell down to the floor, gasping for air. Dumbledore quickly summoned a cup and filled it with water before handing it over to Harry, who took a great gulp of it.

“Is he gone?” Harry asked, once he was finally back under control. “Voldemort? Is he gone?”

Dumbledore nodded, slowly. “Yes, I believe so,”

Harry nodded, slowly standing up and then sitting back down into the chair he was in before. He closed his eyes and took deep calming breaths before staring into Dumbledore’s eyes. “Was he possessing me this whole time?”

Dumbledore sighed, conjuring up a chair and sitting across from Harry. “I assume by that, you mean has he been possessing you since the start of your mood swings?”

Harry looked down into his lap, nodding his head.

Dumbledore sighed. “Yes, and no. I don’t know for sure, but if I had to take a guess, it would be this; sometime after beginning to learn occlumency, he must have figured out that the bond between you two was struggling to close, as that’s what occlumens do, shut down their mind. However, since that is how you two are linked, I figure Voldemort jumped at the chance to keep the connection open, hence why lessons with Snape weren’t working.”

“But then what about when I started taking lessons with Dra—Malfoy? They were working then?”

“Ah, see, that’s the other part,” Dumbledore said, that twinkle back in his eye. “You do not care for Snape in the same way that you care for Draco, and what I mean by that is when learning with Snape, it was more of a chore, whereas with Draco, it was something that was motivating you. You…clearly care for Malfoy, and that has helped with blocking out Voldemort,”

“But how?”

“Love Harry, of course.”

“But…but I—”

“Love comes in many different shapes and sizes,” Dumbledore said. “However, you do express those types of feelings towards Malfoy. The more he’s helped you practice Occlumency, the stronger your blocking abilities have become, and the more you were pushing Voldemort out of your body in a sense.” Harry shuddered at that. “He wasn’t possessing your body so much as your mind, you see? He couldn’t read your thoughts, but he could manipulate your actions. That’s why you’ve been lashing out and throwing tantrums,”

“I haven’t been—”

“Harry, you’re friends had to knock you unconscious and body bind you to a chair.” Dumbledore reminded him. Harry looked away again in shame. “Now, now, it’s not entirely your fault.”

Harry looked back up, frowning. “Entirely?”

“Well, Voldemort can only control so much of you,” Dumbledore explained. “For example, when you said Draco would still be just another enemy if it weren’t for you,” Harry cringed at that. “It may have been Voldemort who said it, but deep down, you had to have been feeling that way. He couldn’t read your mind, but you tend to express your emotions like an open book. While I, as well as the others, know that you’d never say something like that to them, it’s hard to believe that those thoughts didn’t come from somewhere,”

Harry felt awful. “I mean… _yes_ , I do think Draco would still be a down right git if we hadn’t of set our feelings aside to work on DADA. But, at the same time, I didn’t mean it in the way Voldemort said it! Sure, we’d still fight and stuff, but he’s clearly on our side of this war. I don’t think he’d belittle muggleborns or anything like that. Hell, I’m pretty sure he only said that kind of stuff around me because he knew it get me riled up, and it’s probably what he needed to say in order to be safe around the other Slytherins!”

“Be that as it may, all of our actions have consequences,” Dumbledore said. “and I’m afraid that I must face some of mine now,”

Harry sighed, glad to be moving on, and praying that Draco doesn’t kill him when this is all over. “So, why _have_ you been avoiding me?”

Dumbledore rose out of his chair and began to pace. “I was worried that what just happened would happen. I didn’t want to set you off anymore than you already were. I figured if I kept my distance, maybe eventually you’d build up enough resistance and he’d go away. I was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

Harry nodded, but didn’t accept it. “So then, what else is there? You said that was only part of the reason.”

“Yes, well, as you know, I must tend to Order business.”

“Order business? Shit, I—oh, sorry— I keep forgetting to write Siri—Snuffles! Snuffles.”

Dumbledore chuckled. “Yes, I am highly aware of who _Snuffles_ is, and I can reassure you that he is perfectly fine. Lupin, on the other hand, could use someone to talk to right about now,”

Harry frowned. “Why, is something wrong with him?”

“He misses you, of course,” Dumbledore said. “He can’t always write to you, but, if he received a letter now and then…well, I’m sure it would lift his spirits up a bit,”

Harry nodded, now wanting to get off of this subject as well. “So…so, is Voldemort…”

“Gone?” Dumbledore asked. Harry nodded. “I believe so. Just then, he’d taken over your body, but before then it had just been a mental thing. I think this confrontation pushed him out of you for good. I would keep working on your Occlumency, and I’d start rebuilding any friendships you may have damaged or lost.” he said with a knowing look.

Harry looked away again. “I’m sorry,”

“Ah, I am not the one you need to be apologizing to. But, thank you.”

“So, are you staying, then?”

“Dumbledore nodded. “I sense the castle needs me. She often speaks to me in her time of need, so I shall be here to assist.” he said.

Harry gave him a weird look, but decided to move on. He hesitated for a moment, but then decided to push through with what he wanted to say. “Earlier…when I said all of those things about you never being there for me…”

“I do concede that this is true,”

“Well, it’s not that, it’s just…” Harry sighed. “Why the Dursley’s?”

“Ah,” Said Dumbledore, taking a seat back into his chair. “I was wondering when this conversation would occur. I suppose now is as good a time as any,”

“So, there is a reason then?”

“Well, yes, besides them being your relatives, they _do_ offer you a source of protection,”

“But, they don’t—”

“You haven’t let me finish, dear Harry,” Dumbledore said, eyeing Harry closely. Harry closed his mouth, nodding for him to continue. The headmaster then went on to explain how the Dursley’s keep him safe because of the sacrifice his mother made when Voldemort attacked them. “And that is why you must stay with them, despite the circumstances.”

Harry sighed, not liking the fact, but accepting it anyways. He’d made it this far already, right? “So, what now? I just continue on with life as if none of this just happened?”

“Oh, on the contrary.” Dumbledore said, his eyes practically sparkling now. “Go forth with this new knowledge and apply it. It could help you in the long run,”

Harry nodded.

“My only advice, is that you read the signs, take precautions, and follow your instincts.”

Harry frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Dumbledore winked. “It means whatever you want it to.” And with that, he stood up from his chair once more, and walked back over to where his other office was. “Now, I’m going to open this door,” he said, and then turning to face the door he said, _“Very slowly,”_. he counted to three in his head and then opened the door to find Draco, Ron, and Hermione were all sitting in chairs, talking amongst themselves as if they were having a casual afternoon tea party.

Dumbledore gleamed. “You may come forth and ask me your questions now,”

The three looked around at each other cautiously, before making their way back into the main office. Dumbledore conjured up some more chairs, and they all sat around in a circle, avoiding eye contact with Harry, who looked both miserable and highly uncomfortable.

“Well then,” Dumbledore said, looking around the room at his students, “ask away!”

The three in question looked around at each other, before Hermione took the leap. “What’s been going on with Harry?” she asked, shakily.

“Oh, I think you already know the answer to that,” Dumbledore said, causing Hermione to go pale. “I think the _real_ question you want answered is how to prevent it from happening again?”

Hermione sighed in relief, shaking her head yes.

“Well, as I was just telling Harry here, Occlumency is very important. Also, keeping close relationships with those he cares dearly about,” he said, glancing around at everyone. “I will be here in my office if ever you need me,” he said standing up to move behind his desk. “Now, I suggest you all get some rest,” he said, bowing his head, before taking a seat and moving around some paperwork.

“Guess that means we can go,” Ron muttered as he stood up and walked out of the room. The three followed his lead, Harry closing the headmaster’s door on the way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk to me! Comments make me happy :) kudos are also great, let's me know your actually enjoying the story
> 
> Next chapter will be up within the next couple of days. I will "see" you then


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some closure is needed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's so many things I want to say, but for now all I will tell you is be on the look out ;)

After their insightful meeting with Dumbledore was over, the four students made their way out of his office. Nobody said a word as they walked along the empty corridors of the castle. It wasn’t until Hermione dramatically came to a halt in the middle of the hallway did anyone say anything.

“Hermione, what the bloody hell!” Ron said, running smack into her back.

“Shh!” she chided, waving her hand as she turned around a corner. “In here,”

She lead them to an old classroom that wasn’t being used for anything. There wasn’t even a teacher’s desk, just a lone window, an empty closet that was missing a door, a couple askew desks, and a few scattered chairs. “Well, come on then!” she said, beginning to push the tables out of the way and form a little circle with the chairs. Soon, they were all sitting in a circle, facing each other. Well, it was more so that they sat in a curve, Draco, Hermione, and Ron all sitting together, and Harry on the other side of them.

“What are we doing in here?” Draco asked. “I’d like to go to bed,”

“Yeah, I agree with Malfoy,” Ron said.

“No, we need to talk,” Hermione said. “And I’m not going to wait another week or two for this to be addressed,”

“But we just talked!” Harry whined.

“You don’t get to talk!” the three yelled at Harry, causing him to shrink down in his chair. After the previous events of the night, he decided it was best to just shut his mouth and listen.

“So, what do you want us to say?” Ron asked grumpily. “We’ve already gone through this,”

“Well, I for one would like to know what’s up with these so called Dursleys’,” Draco said.

Ron sighed. “You don’t even know the half of it,”

“I also think we should discuss Harry being possessed,” Hermione said. “We need to start taking some serious precautions,” Harry’s eyes widened at that, but he still sat silently.

“Also, is anyone going to tell me about Harry’s scar on his right hand?” Draco pressed. “Every time I go to mention it, something else comes up and I forget.”

“Like he hasn’t mentioned the nightmares?”

“He’s having nightmares again?” Hermione asked.

“Are you really that surprised?” Ron deadpanned.

“No, but no visions, right?” Hermione pressed.

“He’s been having visions too?” Draco said. “Merlin, what else don’t I know?”

“Apparently a lot,” Hermione sighed.

“You seriously don’t know?” Ron asked. “What do you two do all day?”

Draco scoffed. “Apparently just sit in the dark since that’s how I’m currently feeling,” he said, glaring at Harry who shrunk down even farther into his chair.

“To be fair, we don’t know much about you either though,” Hermione said. “Not that I’m siding with Harry, but we kind of need this to be a two way street,”

“So what are you saying?” Draco asked.

“You tell us what we want to know and we’ll tell you everything Harry hasn’t,”

“Does that seem fair?” Harry asked.

“Deal,” Draco said. “Tell me about the scar on the back of his hand.”

“Seriously guys!” Harry said.

“They’re from Umbridge and her ridiculous detentions,” Ron said with a frown. “You didn’t know?”

“She gives the Slytherins a different kind of punishment, we usually just have to sit in her office for an hour and tell her how we’ll be ‘better Slytherins’ and ‘uphold our house values’” Draco said with air quotes, scoffing. “Anyways, what’s that have to do with the scar,”

“She makes students write lines,” Hermione said. “She’s got this enchanted quill, nearly every Gryffindor has an identical mark. The only reason why Harry’s is so dominant is because he’s had the most detentions with her.”

“And the longest,” Ron added.

Draco frowned. “We have to do something about that, but we’ll talk about that later. What do you want to know?”

“Have you heard from your father?” Hermione asked.

Draco flinched, glancing towards Harry, before answering. “Yes…and no. He’s been sending me letters, but I haven’t opened any of them,”

“Are they about…” Hermione asked, trailing off.

“Most likely. I did receive one from my mother the other day though,” Draco said, with a faint smile. “There wasn’t much in it, but he’s definitely planning something big, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had something to do with Voldemort,”

Hermione sighed. Ron and Harry both looked slightly confused, but let it go. “You were asking about the Dursley’s,” Ron said. “They’re…well, they’re down right awful.”

“They don’t treat Harry very well,” Hermione said.

“Guys, I’m still here!” Harry protested.

“What do you mean?” Draco pressed, sounding worried.

“Well, you’ve seen all the hand me down clothes he gets from his cousin,” Hermione went on.

“Which, I mean, I get clothes from my older brothers all the time,” Ron said. “Only, they don’t actually _buy_ him anything. I mean clothes, stuff for school, food,” Ron said, trailing off.

“Wait, they don’t feed him?” Draco asked, looking alarmed.

Hermione shook her head.

“It’s why he always spends the summer with us,” Ron said. “Granted, we didn’t know about the blood protection, but he always comes to stay with us, and then we’ll go to Diagon Alley together and buy all of our school supplies,”

“You have to remember his relatives are muggles,” Hermione said. “They don’t like the idea of magic and spells and the like,”

“But, but that’s his mother’s sister!” Draco said. “She should care!”

Ron and Hermione both shared a look. “Draco…it’s hard to explain. They aren’t exactly the nicest of people,”

Draco looked angry, but he didn’t push it for now. “Alright, I’ll let it go, but that doesn’t mean we’re done discussing this,” he said. “Ask me something else,”

“What’s with Snape?” Ron asked. “I mean, he’s so…mysterious. Is he on our side or not?”

Draco sighed. “He’s…it’s complicated. I can’t really explain it, even if I wanted to. Just know that despite what you may believe, he’s trustworthy.”

Ron didn’t look happy with that answer, but Hermione was just fine with changing subjects. “Back to Harry,” she said. “He may not be having visions, but clearly Voldemort is still a big problem here. He’s possessed him once, who says he won’t possess him again?”

“If we follow what Dumbledore told us to do—” Ron began.

“But what if that doesn’t work?” Hermione continued. “What if he comes back even stronger and we can’t get rid of him?”

“We can’t think like that,” Draco said. “We’ll just have to take extra precaution and make sure we’re doing everything we can to prevent it.” He said, glancing over towards Harry again, before sighing. “I’ll change our schedule around so that it’s more focused towards Occlumency and defensive spells and charms. In fact, maybe we should do that with the DA as well.”

“You mean you want to join our group?” Hermione asked surprised.

Draco shrugged. “Why not? It’ll be beneficial to Harry, and it’ll give me some extra practice.”

“You can even teach us and the others stuff we haven’t gone over yet,” Ron said. “I’d really like to cast a Patronus charm,”

Hermione beamed. “Me too,”

Draco smiled. “Sounds like a plan to me. Oh, we should go see Hagrid again.”

“Agreed.” Ron and Hermione said.

“So, what about the visions?” Draco asked.

“Sometimes Harry gets these…flashes,” Hermione said. Harry muttered something under his breath. “Sometimes they’re clear, but most the time they’re fuzzy. We haven’t been able to make anything of them yet, he says mostly it’s just a dark hallway, a blue door, and strange hissing noises.”

“But I haven’t been having any!” Harry said.

“Just nightmares,” Ron muttered.

“Two different things!”

“Oh, and we’re just supposed to believe you?” Ron snapped.

“Ssh!” Hermione scolded. “Don’t egg him on! And besides, he’s not a liar, he’s just being an arsehole. Just because he hurt our feelings doesn’t mean I trust him any less.”

Ron grumbled, crossing his arms and sinking down into his chair.

“She’s got a point,” Draco said. “I can’t stand the prat, but he’s still Harry. Not much else has changed.”

“Thank you!”

“Shut up scarhead,”

“Can I just go?”

“No!” all three yelled at him.

He shut up again.

Ron sighed. “So, what’s the plan now?”

Hermione thought for a moment. “I think…we need to have a one on one,”

Draco raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, we’re all sitting here and we’re discussing all these different issues.” She explained. “But, we kind of need to step back and fix all the little cracks before we can look at the big picture,”

“so, what are you saying?” Ron said.

Hermione sighed, turning her back to Ron to face Draco. “I’m saying this; Draco, I don’t care. I don’t care that in the past you’ve been mean and a downright bully. I don’t care that you tease and make fun of us, and honestly, I’ve moved past the whole mudblood thing. Maybe if you and Harry weren’t dating, we _would_ still hate each other, but you two _are_ dating, and I certainly don’t hate you. If I’m being honest, I’m really happy to consider you my friend,”

Draco smiled, leaning over and pulling Hermione in for a hug. “Thank you,” he said, his voice shaking. “I…I’m glad we’re friends too,” he said, pulling back from the hug. He sighed, standing up and walking over towards Ron. “While I can’t _quite_ bring myself to stop calling you Weasel,”

“And I cannot seem to help myself when referring to you as ferret face,” Ron said with a slight smile.

Draco smirked. “Yes, however, I will concede that while we haven’t really had a one on one talk like me and Hermione have, I will say that I have found myself…oddly stuck with you. I don’t really like you, if I’m being honest,”

“Nor I, you,” Ron said with a smirk of his own.

“But, yet, I feel as though if something were to happen to you, I would feel some sort of… guilt or remorse.”

“Same to you Malfoy.”

“I don’t think we’ll ever be on a first name bases, but I am willing to commit to a mutual agreement of understanding.”

Ron stood up as well, meeting Draco’s gaze. Who knew they were both so tall? “We work together?”

Draco nodded, holding out his hand. “Not just for Harry. But for the bigger picture,”

“Yes,” Ron said, shaking Draco’s hand. “For the greater good,”

Draco laughed a bit, turning to face Hermione. “Happy?”

She stood up, smiling. “Very.” she said, “Now it’s Harry’s turn,”

Harry looked up from the ground to look up at them. “What?”

“It’s your turn,” Hermione said. “Alright, you two go outside, me and Harry are going to have a little chat,” she said. “Maybe now would be a good time for you two to have that heart to heart.”

“Didn’t we just do that?” they both asked in confusion.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Barely. Me and Draco actually sat down and talked for like an hour. You two just made up some vows and then shook hands.”

Draco snorted, Ron looked offended.

Hermione shooed them off. “Go!” Both boys rolled their eyes and then left the room. Hermione turned her attention back to Harry. “You may speak.”

Harry jumped out of his seat and pulled Hermione into a Hug. “Hermione I’m _so_ sorry! Honestly, I had no idea what was going on with me, and I feel _awful!_ I’ve been a terrible friend and I don’t blame you guys for doing any of the things you’ve done. I just want everything to go back to normal,”

Hermione sighed, hugging Harry back. “You know they can’t,” she said. “This is war now. The others…students and teachers, they may not know or even see it coming but…things can’t be normal. Not for us. Not now.”

Harry nodded, pulling away and wiping away his tears. Hermione did the same, the two laughing at their shaken up appearances. “Hermione, I love you so much, you’re practically my sister, you know I would never say or do anything to intentionally hurt you.”

Hermione nodded with a smile. “I know. I always knew something was up. Granted I never would have guess Voldemort, but I figured you must have been under some sort of spell or something. I swear, last week I had half a mind to send you over to Madam Pomfrey,”

Harry laughed. “I might still need to, Draco is going to kill me,”

Hermione shook his head. “Harry, he lo—he likes you very much.” she corrected with a slight blush. “you two will work it out.”

“I don’t know, I’ve said some pretty awful things to him these past couple hours.”

Hermione placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Harry, look at what we’ve been through. You think if we hated you we’d still be here? You think we’d be putting in all of this effort? No one said we had to stay, but we _chose_ to. Draco doesn’t hate you, believe me. He never has, and he’s not going to start today.”

Harry sighed. “I know, it just… doesn’t feel like it,”

Hermione gave Harry one last hug. “Trust us.” She whispered. “We only want the best for you.” They pulled out of the hug and then Hermione walked out of the room.

\---

“No way, the Cannons are _way_ better!” Ron defended.

Draco snorted. “And here I thought you were an _actual_ Quidditch fan,”

“Five galleons they win the Championships!”

“Oh, you’re so on, I hope you’ve got enough saved up in your Gringotts account,”

“You two are unbelievable,” Hermione said, lightly laughing as she shook her head. “Alright, you’re up next Ron,”

Ron smiled, cracking his knuckles. “I’ve got this!” he said, entering the room.

\---

“You’re not going to hit me, are you?”

“Nope, but I will say I told you so. I told you so!”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Yes, Ron, rub it in,”

“I _knew_ something was up with you!” he continued. “I’m _never_ right about this kind of stuff!”

Harry laughed. “So, are we okay then?”

Ron waved a hand at him. “Yeah, we’re fine. I’m just happy you and Hermione are _finally_ okay. Now I don’t have to play the messenger.”

Harry smiled, walking over and pulling Ron into a hug. “You know I love you, right?”

“Eww,” Ron said, pulling away with a smile. “Don’t say it like that,”

“But it’s true!” Harry sang. “You’re my best friend and I _love you!_ ”

Ron laughed, punching Harry’s arm. “Yes, I love you too mate, now stop embarrassing me,”

“No one else is here?” Harry said with a laugh.

Ron rolled his eyes. “Still. You’re like a brother to me, of course we’re going to fight, but everything’s okay now. You’re back to normal and that’s enough for me,” he said.

Harry smiled. “Thanks mate,”

“Anytime. Ready for Malfoy?”

Harry sighed. “As ready as I’ll ever be,”

Ron nodded at that, patting Harry’s shoulder before walking out the room again. 

\---

“Alright.” he said when he entered back out into the hallway. “Your turn Malfoy,”

Draco sighed, making his way towards the open doorway, taking a deep breath before entering inside.

“I just want to say that if you’re going to hit me or something, I will not blame you for it!” Harry said.

Draco rolled his eyes, closing the door behind him and casting a privacy charm. “I’m not going to punch you.”

“Hex me?”

“No,”

“Yell at me?”

“Most definitely,”

Harry sighed. “Okay, I can deal with that,”

Harry guessed that was all he was waiting for, because he got right into it. “I don’t even know where to start,” Draco sneered.

“From the beginning?” Harry said with a shaky laugh, although it came out as sort of a question.

“First of all, you hide stuff from me, and it’s not like it’s little stuff either. Were you ever going to tell me about the scar on the back of your hand? Or how the Dursley’s basically abuse you?”

“I’d honestly forgotten about the scar, I haven’t gotten a detention with her since…since we’ve gotten together actually. And I’m used to the Dursley’s, plus I’ve told you how they spoil my cousin and how I used to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs.”

“Yes, but still!” Draco went on. “That doesn’t excuse the fact that I had to hear it from someone else other than you!”

“What about you and your dad?” Harry asked, not wanting to start a fight, but feeling as though this was a valid point. “Were you going to tell me about the plan for you to get a dark mark?”

Draco flinched, taking a step back, “That’s different,” he said, subconsciously rubbing his forearm.

“Is it though?” Harry asked softly, taking a tentative step forward. “Look, neither one of us has been completely honest with each other. I’m sorry for not telling you, but that’s hardly something one just brings up in random conversation,”

Draco sighed. “No more secrets, and no more lying. I mean it this time.”

Harry nodded, taking another step closer to Draco. “You have my word. I’ll tell you anything and everything you want me to.”

Draco nodded. “Me too. I really haven’t read any of those letters from my father, I know I probably should, but truth is…I’m scared.”

Harry closed the distance between them, taking Draco’s hands in his. “We can read them together.”

“And we can send some letters back home to Lupin and Sirius.”

Harry smiled, pulling Draco closer. “I haven’t told them about us yet,”

Draco tilted his head to the side, wrapping his arms around Harry’s neck. “Why not?”

Harry shrugged. “Dunno. Just haven’t gotten around to it yet,”

“We’ll, they’re going to be pretty surprised when they see us together,”

"As if I’m going to be seen out in public with you" harry imitated Draco.

"Shut it, you git." Draco laughed.

“What are you going to do if I don’t?” Harry teased. “Bite me?”

“Relax, Potter. I don’t bite." Draco said, before adding with a smirk, “Well, not hard at least,” he said, biting Harry’s bottom lip.

Harry shivered, reaching a hand up and cupping Draco’s cheek, giving him a real kiss. Draco sighed, leaning into it, trailing one hand up into Harry’s unruly hair.

“Does this mean I’m forgiven?” Harry asked, gasping for air.

Draco groaned. “Yes, now shut up and kiss me,” he said, not waiting for a reply as he pulled Harry back in. This time Harry gave a moan of approval as he began to trail one of his hands up and down Draco’s back.

Draco shivered, moving of his own hands down Harry’s chest, before pushing him down into one of the nearby chairs. Harry gasped, both from the sudden movement and the sudden need for oxygen. He had enough time to sit up straight in the chair before Draco was climbing into his lap, kissing him again, just as fiercely as before.

Harry moaned, wrapping both arms around Draco, pulling him even tighter against him. In fear of Draco falling, and simply because he wanted to, he trailed his hands down until he was grasping Draco’s arse, and squeezed, pulling him even tighter against his body.

Draco broke away from the kiss, gasping before it turned into a moan. “Merlin, yes, Harry,” he said, leaning back down for another kiss. This time it was all tongue and teeth as the two battled for dominance, Draco slowly beginning to rock back and forth in Harry’s lap.

Harry’s grip on Draco tightened as he shivered against the blond. “So good,” he whispered against Draco’s lips, starting to thrust his hips up into Draco’s, causing even more friction. “So hot,” he continued, biting down on Draco’s lip. “All mine,” he growled, giving a particularly hard thrust.

Draco let out a broken moan, grinding down harder into Harry. “Yes, yes! All yours!”

Their kiss became heated, Draco’s hands travelling all over Harry’s body. Their breathing was heavy, Harry’s grip on Draco was becoming tighter as he felt a familiar warmth pool in his stomach. Draco could feel it too, and he moaned, not wanting the moment to end, yet waiting for the burst of energy.

“Oh, Merlin, Draco!” Harry panted. “So close,”

“Yes, yes,” Draco whimpered. “Don’t stop, don’t stop!”

Harry tried to hold on just a little bit longer, wanting Draco to finish first. He pulled the blond into one last heated kiss, squeezing Draco’s arse and thrusting his hips up, rotating them a bit in the process. That was all it took, and Draco was screaming wordlessly into Harry’s kisses as he came in his pants. Harry moaned, his own body starting to convulse as his seed spilled out as well, coating the inside of his pants. The two boys sat back and caught their breath as they came down from their high, just holding each other while they listened to their heartbeats.

“Merlin, you make me so angry sometimes,” Draco said, tracing a pattern on Harry’s sweaty chest.

Harry let out a shaky laugh. “I thought I was forgiven,”

“Doesn’t make me any less upset.”

Harry placed a kiss on Draco’s forehead. “I know. But we’ll be okay,”

Draco snorted. “With makeup sex like that, I sure hope we are,”

Harry laughed, lightly squeezing Draco’s bum. “You want to get off me now?”

“Hmm, I’ll think about it,” Draco said, leaning forward and capturing Harry’s lips in another kiss. This one was a lot slower than the ones before. It was tender, their tongues twining together in a slow dance. Harry sighed, relaxing into the kiss, moving his hands up to hold Draco’s waist. Draco moved his own hands up to cup Harry’s face, deepening the kiss.

Just then there was a knock on the door. “Are you two done in there?”

The two pulled away, blushing madly. “I forgot they were there!” Harry hissed, but he was laughing.

Draco rolled his eyes, but he wore a smirk. “I did add privacy charms for a reason,”

“Did you add a silencing charm?”

Draco’s smirk disappeared. “Fuck,”

“Not now, but maybe later.”

Draco hit him on the shoulder, but he started laughing again. “I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” Harry said with a cheeky grin.

Draco gave him a quick peck on the lips. “You’re right. Come on, before they break the door down.”

\---

After a briefly awkward encounter, the four began their walk back to their dorms. They were closer to Slytherin, so the Gryffndors walked Draco back first, letting him and Harry have a moment to say goodbye, before the trio made their way back to the tower. Upon entering inside, they said their goodnights and headed to their rooms. Not even five minutes after Ron’s head hit the pillow did he start snoring. Harry chuckled to himself as he laid in his bed, staring up at the canopy.

He was dead tired, but he felt reluctant to sleep. What if he had a nightmare? What if he had a vision? What if Voldemort ended up entering back into his mind while he was sleeping? He wouldn’t be able to stop him if he tried to get in his mind again.

Harry knew he was overthinking this, but he didn’t know what to do. He soon found himself unable to keep his eyes open for long periods of time, and no matter how hard he tried, he’d always drift off into sleep before abruptly waking up again as if remembering he wasn’t supposed to be sleeping. Eventually though, he couldn’t hold on any long, and he let himself succumb to the darkness.

Luckily enough for him, however, he only dreamed of white blond hair and mischievous dark grey eyes. Harry smiled in his sleep, hugging his other pillow closer to his chest. It may not have been the real thing, but for the next couple of hours, while he slept, he could always pretend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will post in a day or two. Chapter 18 is done, it's chapter 19 that's taking me forever. It's going to be split into parts, because it's currently sitting in my google doc at 40 pages (so over 10,500 words) and it's _still_ not finished! And I haven't even begun to edit it yet, soooo, that's where I'm at.
> 
> But, on the bright side, after that's done, I can focus back onto the main stuff and maybe finish this story? I know! Sounds crazy, but don't worry, there's still so much more to come :)


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff overload...have I used this one before? I swear I'll go back and give these real summaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys...I filled in the number of chapters left *cries*

Harry stood high up in the stands in between Pansy and Blaise. The Slytherins were facing off against the Ravenclaws, and it was an intense match. Ravenclaws were leading by a landslide, and Draco needed to catch the snitch now or else they’d lose the game.

“Come on Draco!” Pansy shouted out. “Kick these nerds’ arses!”

Blaise made a grunting noise as one of the Slytherin chasers was hit with a Bludger. “Hopefully next year, Draco will assemble a _much_ better team.”

Pansy snorted. “If there’s anyone good left—hey! Back of Corner, don’t make me come down there!”

Harry hung off of the side railing, trying to get a glimpse of blond hair and a golden snitch. From across the stands he could hear Ron yelling out as well. “Come on, Malfoy, what are you doing! Don’t _make_ me start singing!” he said, referring to _“Weasley is our King”_. The Gryffindors had come up with a song of their own incase need be. Hermione stood next to him, rolling her eyes.

Harry chuckled, waving to his friends.

“Look, there!” Pansy shouted, and Harry saw it too. A flash of gold glittering over towards the Hufflepuff side of the stands. With all the flashing black and yellow over in the crowd, on top of the blazing sun, it was kind of hard to miss.

But not for a perceptive Ravenclaw. Harry held his breath, watching the two seekers, waiting for one of them to notice the not-so-obvious snitch flying around.

And then, _finally_ , something caught Draco’s attention, and when he turned around, he immediately made a dive for the snitch. Harry’s heart hammered in his chest, his heartbeat racing at such a dangerous plunge from so high up. He hoped Draco didn’t crash and burn as he’d done himself so many times before.

And then, he caught it! Pansy was belligerent, and Blaise had his arms raised high in the air as he shouted out victory. Even Ron from across the way was doing this weird little happy dance, causing Hermione to laugh.

And then Draco was circling back around, and hovering in front of Harry.

“You did it!” Harry said, enthusiastically.

Draco smirked. “Does that mean we get to go on another date?”

Harry laughed, cupping Draco’s cheeks. “Anything you want,” and then they were sharing a victory kiss. The stands seemed to go even wilder at that, apparently loving their new relationship status. Some people still gave them odd looks, but everyone else seemed on board.

Well, maybe not everyone, but that wasn’t the point. Draco pulled away from the kiss and smiled almost lovingly into Harry’s emerald green eyes. “So, where are you taking me tonight?”

“Hmm, that’s a surprise,”

“So, you don’t know?”

“I honestly haven’t a clue,”

Draco laughed loud and vibrantly, and it made Harry’s heart soar. He loved seeing the Slytherin so proud and carefree. He pulled him in for another kiss, literally not being able to resist. Once they pulled away again for some much needed air, Harry smiled, remembering his idea from a few days ago. “I’ll come get you from the dungeons before dinner starts,”

Draco was still smiling, a skeptical look on his face. “We aren’t going to dinner?”

“We are, you’ll see,” Harry said.

Draco shook his head, rolling his eyes. “Typical Potter, keeping secrets,” he said, turning to fly over to the rest of his teammates.

Harry sighed, watching him fly away. “I am so in love with him.”

Pansy and Blaise shared a look. “We know!”

\---

As promised, after class, but before dinner, Harry made his way down to the dungeons.  
He had went back up to the Gryffindor common room and changed from his typical school robes, into a pair of muggle jeans and a sweatshirt. Once he reached the Slytherin entrance, however, he realized that he had no clue what the password was. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of password they could possibly come up with. He thought about knocking, but then quickly decided that was a dumb idea. Who would answer the door?

Thankfully for him, fate was on his side, as suddenly the door swung open to reveal an exasperated Pansy. “Oh thank Morgana you’re here!” she said, grabbing Harry’s arm and dragging him inside. “Draco is going ballistic!”

“Am not!” he shouted off from somewhere.

Pansy rolled her eyes. “He’s been freaking out about your date since the quidditch game ended. Apparently, he can’t figure out what to wear,” she said, giving Harry a once over. “And clearly, neither do you,”

“Hey!”

“What? We’re friends now darling, which means it’s my duty to tell you that your lack of a fashion sense really is a crime,”

Now Harry rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Just tell Draco to wear something warm, he’ll be okay,”

Pansy nodded, making her way back towards the boys dormitory. Blaise sat in one of the common room chairs, reading a book. “Those two are a mess,” he said, idly flipping another page in his book.

Harry turned to look at him. “I didn’t even see you there. Why aren’t you helping them with Draco’s, um…crisis?”

“I am _not_ having a crisis!”

Blaise looked up from his book. “So I don’t have to deal with _that_ ,” he said, going back to reading.

Harry chuckled, taking a seat from across Blaise. A few other Slytherins were scattered around the room, most of them already having left for dinner. “What are you reading?”

“It’s a Dark Arts book. Hermione lent it to me actually.” Blaise said, closing it and handing it to Harry. “It’s got some interesting stuff in there. I was thinking about joining your DA club. We all have been, actually,”

“Really?” Harry asked surprised as he flipped through a couple of pages. “Doesn’t seem like something you’d guys be into,”

Blaise shrugged, taking the book back from Harry. “We may be Slytherins, but we do need help sometimes. While we do keep to ourselves for the most part, sometimes it’s…nice to interact with other people.”

Harry nodded in understanding. “Well, you’re welcome to come any time.”

Blaise smiled at him, going back to reading his book. Just then, Draco walked in wearing a pair of dark jeans and a light blue sweater. “Ready, Potter?”

Harry wanted to comment on how adorable his boyfriend looked, but decided against it for now. “Yup,” he said, standing up. The two waved goodbye to their friends before exiting out of the common room. Once outside, Harry offered Draco his arm, who linked his elbow throw Harry’s arm, as they made their way through the castle.

After the match had ended, Harry and ran to Hermione and Ron to help him set up for his date. Hermione had been over the moon to help him with this idea, and Ron was just happy to see everyone getting along again. Now, everything should be in place, and Harry was excited, yet nervous for the night to unfold.

Draco wasn’t sure what they were doing tonight, but he trusted Harry, so he followed him as they wandered around the castle. Pretty soon, it became clear that they were heading towards the Hufflepuff basement, and Draco threw Harry a skeptical look. “Just wait,” he said, so Draco did.

Soon, they appeared in front of the door that would lead them into the kitchens, and again, Draco sent Harry a look. “What?” the Gryffindor asked.

“Nothing,” Draco said, thinking better of it to question him and to just go along with whatever the Gryffindor had planned.

Harry frowned wondering if maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. “Would you rather we just go upstairs and eat instead?”

Well, now Draco felt bad. “No, this is fine,” he said quickly, placing a kiss on Harry’s cheek for emphasis. “Whatever you have planned is fine with me.”

Harry smiled, giving Draco a kiss on the cheek as well, before reaching out and lightly tickling the pear on the portrait in from of them. They watched as it shook in the painting, before the door swung open to reveal a group of house elves still working on preparing the feast for the dinner that was about to be served up in the Great Hall.

“Harry Potter!” came a familiar voice. “You have returned!”

Harry smiled, walking into the room, Draco following behind him. “Hello, Dobby.”

“You is back, without Granger and the Wheezy,” he said. “Oh! But you’ve brought young master Malfoy!”

Draco smiled, hiding behind Harry. “Um, hi.”

Harry frowned. “I forgot you used to be one of his houselves,” he said turning his head to look at Malfoy. “You know, it’s weird how we never run into each other outside of school, we pretty much know all the same people,”

Draco shrugged. “Coincidence I guess?”

“Dobby has your basket ready Harry Potter!” Dobby said excitedly, as he ran across the room and picked up a picnic basket, carrying it back over to them, handing it to Harry. “It has everything you asked for! Of course, Dobby might have added a few extra things, but Dobby thinks that you will like it very much!”

“Thank you Dobby,” Harry said. “You’ve been very helpful.”

“Anytime Harry Potter! Bye Master Malfoy!”

“Erm, Draco is fine, Dobby. Really,” he said blushing.

“There is no need for Master Draco to feel uncomfortable,” Dobby said. “Dobby likes this one. Although Dobby does not care for the _other_ Malfoy. Mistress Malfoy was always nice to Dobby though,”

Draco smiled a bit at that, moving around Harry to look at Dobby. “I’m sorry about my father,” he said. “I never understood why he was so cruel to you. You were always so nice. Well, to me anyways,”

“Yes, yes, Dobby remembers those days. Dobby and master Draco used to sneak down to the kitchens and eat all the chocolate chip cookies,”

Draco laughed at the memory. “Yes, I got sick and I wasn’t allowed to eat anymore cookies after that,”

Harry laughed. “You’ll have to tell me more of these stories,”

“Any time Harry Potter! Oh, but you must be going now!” Dobby said. “Or else you won’t have time to—”

“Yes! Thank you Dobby!” Harry said, before he could ruin the surprise. Draco looked highly amused. “We’ll talk to you later then,”

“By Harry Potter! By Master Draco!”

“Bye!” they said, giving him a little wave before exiting out of the kitchens.

Once back out into the hallway, Draco broke down into hysterical laughter. Harry gave him a weird look, but he was laughing as well. Once Draco collected himself, he stood up straight, reaching out for Harry’s hand again. “I’d forgotten how…excited he can get,”

Harry laughed, shaking his head. “Oh yeah, tell me something I don’t know.”

The two continued to walk down the halls, laughing quietly to themselves as Harry led them towards the front hall. “Going on a picnic then?” Draco asked, trying to hide his excitement.

“Well, it would explain the picnic basket,” Harry said. “But that’s only part of it.”

They made their way across the grounds, making their way over to the lake where the Giant Squid was lightly splashing around. Off to the side, a blanket was laid out under a shady tree, surrounded by flowers. Along with the blanket was a telescope, a pair of binoculars, and the picnic basket Harry was carrying with them.

Draco’s eyes lit up. “Harry, this is amazing.” he said, walking over and sitting down on the sprawled-out blanket. “You planned this?”

Harry shrugged blushing. He plopped down next to Draco, unpacking their basket. “I came up with the idea a while ago. I did get some help from Ron and Hermione though.”

Draco beamed brightly, leaning over and placing a sloppy kiss on Harry’s cheek. “This is already perfect.”

Harry’s blushed deepened further as he placed a kiss on Draco’s cheek as well. “I didn’t know what to ask for, so there’s a little bit of everything,” he said pulling out different types of sandwiches, dinner rolls, meat pies, fruits, and other things, as well as cookies, mince pies, treacle tart and a few other options.

Draco was over the moon. “Harry, this is amazing,” he said, reaching for a mince pie.

Harry laughed. “Don’t you want to eat dinner first?” Harry asked.

Draco shook his head, moaning as he took a bite of the pie. “This is great,”

Harry smiled warmly at the Slytherin. “You’re in a good mood tonight,”

“Only because I have the best boyfriend ever,”

For some reason, that sentence did something to Harry. Obviously the two were dating, and were clearly exclusive. But something about Draco _actually calling_ him his boyfriend made Harry feel he was the luckiest guy in the world. Harry leaned over, turning Draco’s head and gave him a powerful kiss. When he pulled back, he whispered, “that makes two of us,”

Draco was gasping for air, that kiss alone making his lips turn a puffy red color. “A little warning next time, yeah?” he asked, but he had a faint smile.

Harry chuckled lightly, placing a much softer kiss to the blond’s lips. “Better?” he whispered.

“Hmm,” Draco said, nodding his approval. He licked Harry’s lips, food forgotten as he wrapped his arms around the Gryffindor.

Harry laughed against Draco’s lips, pulling away again before things got too carried away. “Come on, eat first, snog later.”

Draco didn’t have any complaints to that, so they both sat side by side on the sprawled out blanket, eating dinner and sharing stories. Conversation was light but it was also eye opening. They talked about school, of course, their classes and their O.W.L’s studies. Then, topics changed, Harry explaining how over the summer hols, he always goes back to the Dursley’s and he went on about how Dudley gets to do all these cool things like go to amusement parks and go to the movies while he’s stuck at home. 

Draco told him about how his summer hols have recently involved him being locked inside the manor, either studying other curriculum such as latin and taking piano, or with his father, attending “pureblood” meetings, which basically meant them discussing Voldemort and how great he is.

Draco scoffed. “It’s absurd and draining.”

“I’ll trade you.” Harry deadpanned.

“Don’t even say that, I would totally live in a cupboard,”

Harry laughed, swatting Draco’s arm. “Yes, and listening in on how Voldemort wants to kill me sounds like an excellent summer vacation,”

Draco was laughing too now. “We are a mess,”

Harry nodded, finishing off his third treacle tart. “We’ll get through it though,”

Draco’s face changed to one of uncertainty. “I’m not so sure…”

“Hey, remember what we said to each other?” Harry said, turning Draco’s face to look at him. “That day in the Three Broomsticks?”

Draco smiled. “You and me until the end?”

Harry smiled back. “Yes, always, but do you remember what we promised each other?”

Draco sighed. “To fight, no matter what,”

“And that’s what we’re going to do.” Harry said firmly. Draco nodded, but he still seemed down. “Come on, none of that,” Harry said, giving Draco a short but firm kiss on the lips. “We’re trying to have fun!” he said, pulling Draco into a hug.

Draco sighed into Harry, enjoying the warmth and the feeling of having him wrapped around his body. He felt like they fit perfectly together, even if he was taller than Harry, he loved being held by the Gryffindor. “I am having fun,”

“Good,” Harry said, kissing the top of Draco’s head.

Draco hummed, nuzzling his head into the crook of Harry’s neck. The two remained silent for a long time, just enjoying the night sky and the stairs around them. They eventually got up and took turns looking through the telescope and binoculars, trying to point out different stars and constellations to one another.

“Look,” Harry said, laying down on his back, point up towards the sky. “Over there, past that cloud,”

Draco, who had been looking through the telescope, moved over to where Harry was, hovering over the boy to give him a slow kiss, before pulling away and lying on his back next to the Gryffindor.

Harry gave him a loopy smile. “What was that for?”

Draco shrugged, smiling. “Because I felt like it. What are you trying to show me?”

“Up over there,” Harry said, pointing up at a group of stars in the shape of a dog. “That’s the Sirius constellation.”

Draco smiled, recognizing it immediately. “We’ll have to tell him we found it.”

Harry smiled widely, turning his head to face Draco. “I also found the big and little dipper,”

Draco laughed at how utterly proud of himself Harry felt. “10 points to Gryffindor,”

Harry’s smile widened. “Can’t take it back now, Mr. Inquisitorial squad! Thanks for the free points,”

Draco glared at him, but he wore a sly smirk. “Who says I won’t take them away?”

“Wouldn’t that be abusing your power?” Harry teased.

Draco stuck his tongue out at Harry. “Five points for being a smartarse.”

“If I apologize, can I have those points back?”

“No,”

“What if I kissed you?”

“Nice try,”

“What if I did this,” Harry said, rolling over and beginning to suck a bruise into Draco’s neck.

“Hmm,” Draco moaned. “Maybe I’ll think about it,” Harry took one of his hands and began to trail it down Draco’s body, causing the Slytherin to gasp. “I’m not making any promises.”

Harry continued to move his hand down until it rested just above Draco’s navel. He pulled away from Draco’s neck to stare into his darkening eyes. “What if I keep going?”

Draco’s breathing was staggered, and he tried to keep a straight face, but it was hard to do when Harry was looking at him the way he was with his hand above Draco’s trousers. “I may be willing to add a point or two back,”

“Oh, only a point?” Harry teased, trailing his hand back up Draco’s chest.

“Maybe, more!” Draco said, grabbing Harry’s hand in his and sliding it back down.

“Hmm, someone is eager,” Harry said, leaning down to lick a stripe up Draco’s neck, sucking a hickey into the hollow of his neck.

Draco moaned, removing his hand from Harry’s and sliding it into his curly hair instead. “Only for you,”

Harry growled at that, giving Draco’s neck a particularly hard bite, causing him to arch his back in pleasure as Harry’s hand continued to travel down, past Draco’s navel and palm at the front of his jeans.

Draco was shivering now, whether from the cold or Harry’s attention, he had no clue, but he couldn’t stop as he arched up into Harry’s hand. “Please?”

Harry looked up from sucking hickey’s into Draco’s skin. “Yes?”

“Stop teasing,”

Harry smirked. “Is there something you want?”

“Yes!” Draco hissed, “for you to touch me!”

Harry chuckled lightly, leaning down to give Draco a tender kiss, as he slid his hand down the front of Draco’s jeans. Draco moaned in satisfaction, still arching his hips up, as Harry rubbed the palm of his hand against Draco’s member.

Draco whimpered, pulling away from the kiss. “Need more,”

Harry nodded, fumbling with Draco’s pants, before finally getting them open. Still using one hand, he pulled Draco’s boxers down just enough to free his erect cock. It occurred to Harry that up until now he’d never actually seen it, and curiosity was getting the better of him. He turned his head, getting a glance, and moaned at the sight. It was average length, long and pink, not too thick, with precum already beading at the head, and Harry held it in his hand giving it a firm stroke.

Draco let out a broken moan, continuing to arch his hips up. “Please,” he continued to beg.

“Merlin, you’re so hot,” Harry said, diving in for another kiss as his hand sped up on Draco’s cock, wanking him to completion. Draco’s nerves felt on overdrive. Harry’s kisses, his hand slowly but surely getting him off, the cool breeze of the night air, everything was heightening his senses, pushing him closer and closer to the edge.

“Come for me Draco,” Harry whispered in his ear, before biting down on the lobe. That was enough for him, and Draco came with a shout as he spurted his seed all over Harry’s hand. He finally relaxed back onto the blanket, sighing heavily as he tried to regain his breath.

Harry stared down at him, watching in awe as he’d climaxed. “You. Are. Amazing,”

Draco blushed rowling Harry over onto his back. “And you’re a pervert.” he said as he pulled his pants back up.

Harry smirked. “You like it,” he said, casting a Cleaning Charm.

Draco leaned down, first biting, then sucking on Harry’s bottom lip, before pulling away. “I’ll admit. You can have your five points back,”

Harry wore a huge grin. “Worth it,”

Draco snorted, rolling off of Harry. He stared up at the sky, lying on his back, just enjoying Harry’s presence, when something caught his eye. “Hey, Harry look!” he said, nudging the Gryffindor, who had just closed his eyes. “Over there.”

Harry cracked an eye open to peak at what Draco was referring to. Once he saw it though, his eyes opened wide, as he sat up on his elbows. “Is that another constellation?”

Draco nodded, smiling wide. “Sure is, do you know which one?”

Harry squinted his eyes, turning his head to the side. “No idea…but it looks sort of like a dragon,”

Draco beamed up at his boyfriend. “That’s because it’s _my_ constellation,”

Harry turned his head to look down at Draco. “Seriously?”

Draco snorted. “Why are you so surprised?” he said, sitting up as well. “You _do_ know that’s what my name means, right? I mean it’s _literally_ in the school motto,”

“What, never tickle a sleeping dragon?”

Draco rolled his eyes, but nodded.

“Huh. Never put two and two together,”

“Figures,”

“But aren’t you ticklish?”

“Don’t you dare get any ideas, Potter!”

“Wait, so you are?”

“Potter—Harry, _no!_ ”

But it was too late. Harry tackled the blond to the ground and was tickling him mercilessly. Draco had tears streaming down his cheeks as he laughed uncontrollably, trying to move away from Harry’s furious fingers. “Harry, Harry, _stop!_ ” he cried.

Eventually Harry let up, placing his hands on either side of Draco’s head. Draco’s breathing began to slow down, a few more laughs escaping him. “I _hate_ you!” he said, swatting at Harry’s arm.

Harry only laughed, leaning down to kiss him sweetly. Draco continued to whack him, but eventually gave into the kisses, sighing as he wrapped his arms around Harry’s back instead, pulling him down against him.

Harry pulled away smirking. “You are quite the fierce little dragon, huh?” he teased.

Draco growled. “Fear me!”

Harry laughed. “And adorable,”

Draco glared at him. “I will destroy you.”

“With what? Hugs and kisses?”

“With cunning vengeance!”

Harry couldn’t stop laughing. “You are _so cute!_ ”

“I will bite you, Potter,”

Harry stole another kiss from Draco, who sighed, humming into the kiss. Harry smiled into it, pulling away softly. “You’re not so bad,”

“You haven’t seen me at my worst,” Draco replied.

Harry shrugged. “Can’t be that bad. I mean, I did watch you get turned into a ferret.”

Draco growled again, this time biting Harry’s chin. Harry winced. “Told you I’d bite,”

Harry stuck his tongue out at Draco, rolling off of him. “You’re no fun,”

Draco rolled his eyes, but sat up as well. “Maybe we should head back inside?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, I’ll walk you back,” he said.

The two began to gather up their belongings, shrinking some stuff so that it fit into their pockets. When their area was cleaned up, Harry grasped Draco’s hand in his as they made their way back up towards the castle.

When they made it to the front doors, Harry stopped them, fishing around in his pocket, before extracting the invisibility cloak and draping it over the two of them. The two continued their walk through the castle, stopping several times to make out in empty hallways and abandoned alcoves. Finally, after what felt like forever, the two made it down to the dungeons.

“This is where I leave you,” Harry said.

Draco nodded. “You sure you have to go?”

Harry blushed. “Do you want me to stay?”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Draco said with a smirk. “I may decide to eat you or something,”

Harry laughed. “You’re unbelievable. I’ll see you tomorrow at breakfast, yeah?”

Draco nodded smiling as he gave his boyfriend one last lingering kiss. “Goodnight Harry,” he said, giving him one last kiss on the lips.

“Goodnight, my fierce dragon,” Harry said, causing Draco to blush.

Draco watched as Harry left, not turning around until Harry was out of sight. Once he was, Draco snuck inside, making sure the door closed softly behind him, before making his way back to his bed and falling asleep promptly afterwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have good news! Part two now has a title ;)


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the prank wars begin!!
> 
> Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this is all technically one chapter, as that's how I wrote it before editing it and splitting it apart, I'm going to be nice and upload all 4 parts at once :) so here you go, enjoy 4 chapters in a row!
> 
> Also, take it as my apology for not uploading anything for the past 8 days *flashes puppy dog eyes*

Harry woke up bright and early feeling...uneasy. Why, he wasn’t quite sure, he just felt as if something wasn’t right. He thought maybe he’d just woken up from a nightmare, but his breathing wasn’t heavy and he’d slept through most of the night, only waking up once to use the bathroom. That, and he can remember a pretty vivid dream he’d been having about a certain blond haired Slytherin.

A quick look over to his right showed Ron fast asleep, along with his other roommates, so he figured he was just nervous about class or something. It was a Friday morning after all, what was there to be suspicious about? He tried going back to sleep, but after about five or so minutes, decided he’d head down to the common room instead.

Sure enough, when he made it to the bottom of the landing, he spotted Hermione in her usual seat, reading a book while Crookshanks roamed freely around the room. Harry walked over, taking a seat on the couch, not wanting to disturb her.

Hermione looked up from her novel and smiled, before turning her attention back to her story. “Morning, Harry.”

“Hey,” he greeted. He wondered how long it would be until the others were up. It was unusually quiet, the common empty except for Harry, Hermione, and a couple of seventh years passed out on the other side of the room, no doubt from studying for N.E.W.T.S. He knew that would one day be him and his friends, cramming to no end until finally the day would come where they’d just take the damn thing and graduate. But then he starting thinking...what if that doesn’t happen? What if they don’t make it to seventh year? What if by then Voldemort is back, stronger than ever, and they’ll have to choose between staying behind or fighting the monster.

Harry sighed, a wave of unease washing over him. He didn’t want to think about it. Not now and not ever. He tried to get comfortable, pushing those thoughts away as he leaned against the arm of the couch and tried to get a little bit of extra sleep.

\---

Eventually, the others came down, and the group of fifth year Gryffindors made their way down to the Great Hall. Nobody really seemed out of the ordinary; Ron was grumpy as usual, Hermione was droning on about their O.W.L.S pretests, Seamus and Dean were laughing about something, and Neville seemed to be having a deep conversation with Ginny, who often found herself tagging along in their group.

As they all entered inside of the Great Hall, it was a lot louder than usual, especially for the morning. Harry just shrugged it off, glancing over to the Slytherin table only to find Draco’s spot empty as usual. He’d really have to figure out what he gets up to before meals. As they approached the Gryffindor table, Harry noticed that, as per usual, they were the loudest table. He eyed the twins sitting towards the end, who looked oddly suspicious, but again, when didn’t they?

Harry shrugged as he went to sit down, his eyes going wide as his seat made an obscene sound. Those around him laughed, and Harry started to blush very brightly. “What? It wasn’t me!”

Ron snorted. “Sure mate,” he said, sitting down next to him and emitting the same noise. The gryffindors continued to laugh. “Hey!”

“Told you!” Harry said, but he was laughing now too.

“What did the twins do now?” Ginny said, sitting down, causing the bench to make quite a loud farting noise.

“No idea,” Dean said jumping up and down in his seat several times. “But it’s brilliant!”

Seamus snorted. “We used to pull pranks like this all the time back at my muggle school,”

Hermione rolled her eyes, careful not to move too much in her seat. “Don’t remind me.”

“I think it’s funny,” Neville said, trying to make different sounds come out of his seat. “We all need a little fun. Especially with you know who around,”

“Where? I don’t see him?” Dean joked, looking around the room.

Harry snorted. “I think he means the pink toad,”

“Who?” Ginny asked.

“It’s what he and Malfoy call Umbridge,” Ron said around a mouthful of toast.

“Oh, like how me and Seamus call Professor McGonagall ‘whiskers’?” Dean said.

“Or like how I refer to Professor Flitwick as ‘fairy man’?” Seamus contributed.

“Speaking of, am I the only one of thinks Snape is a vampire?” Ginny asked.

“You’ve all gone mad,” Hermione said, with a slight chuckle.

“Aren’t you the one who helped us come up with our own code names?” Ron asked.

“Oi, code names, huh?” Seamus said. “What’s that all about?”

So the rest of breakfast was spent with the Golden Trio explaining their idea of code names to the rest of their year mates, who all thought it was a great idea, and even threw out some crazy ones for themselves.

“Hey, what would we even need code names for?” Neville asked.

Ron shrugged. “You never know when you’ll need to go undercover,”

\---

After breakfast, the gryffindors made their way to transfiguration. Ron was sitting next to Harry, and they usually always sit behind Hermione as she insists on sitting at the front of the classroom. Nothing was too out of the ordinary, the Gryffindors were all still a bit riled up from breakfast, but nobody seemed to be paying too much attention to them. They did share this class with the Hufflepuffs, so the Gryffindors good mood was putting them in a good mood as well.

As McGonagall droned on with her lesson, Harry started to laugh to himself.

Ron looked over and gave him a weird look. “You alright, mate?”

Harry nodded, trying to control himself. “Yeah, it’s just…me and Draco have this whole theory about McGonagall and Umbridge,”

Ron snorted. “You can’t be serious?”

“You know how I think McGonagall transforms into a cat to mess with Umbridge?”

“Yeah, of course,”

“Well, Draco thinks so too,”

“No way!”

“Seriously, we’ve got this whole thing on going between us,”

Ron rolled his eyes, but he was clearly intrigued. “What do you mean?”

Harry began to lightly chuckle to himself. “Well, we come up with different theories during class. Like, for example, look at McGonagall’s blouse,” he said, pointing towards their unsuspecting professor. “She’s got a piece of pink thread handing off of her sleeve. McGonagall _never_ wears pink, so _you_ tell _me_ where you think that came from,” Harry said, full on laughing now.

Ron wasn’t able to control himself much either. “You two are nuts,”

“Oh yeah? Tell me Ron, how many cats have you seen that are grey with black stripes who have black rims around their eyes to resemble glasses?” Harry asked. “Because I’ve only seen one, and yet that same cat always seems to appear in Umbridge’s office,”

Ron clearly wasn’t buying it, but was finding the conversation far more intriguing than that of their lesson. “So what? She’s messing around with Umbridge, we all do,”

“I heard McGonagall once put a rat in Professor Umbridge’s office,” Ernie said, leaning over to whisper to them. He normally sits behind them in this class. “Most of the times their dead, but last time…” Ernie trailed off in his own fit of laughter.

“You three cut it out!” Hermione admonished.

Ron ignored her, turning around in his seat to face the Hufflepuff. “Don’t tell me you believe it too!”

“Oh yeah, everyone’s got an opinion. Hannah and Susan swear they saw McGonagall being carried around the halls in Umbridge’s arms—as a cat, of course,” Ernie added with a laugh, probably imagining the sight of a short stout lady carrying around someone like McGonagall.

The thought brought a bright smile to both Ron and Harry as well.

“Something funny, boys?” McGonagall asked the group.

Ernie coughed, and Ron went back to diligently taking notes. Harry cleared his throat. “Erm, no Professor. Everything’s fine.”

Professor McGonagall sent them “her look” over her spectacles, before turning back around and finishing her lesson. “As I was saying, the three T’s of transfiguration are…”

“Told you,” Hermione said, never taking a break in her note writing.

The two Gryffindors shared a look before rolling their eyes, Ernie giving a sympathetic shrug of his shoulders before returning back to his work as well.

\---

For whatever reason, today was going by in a flash of silly pranks in the halls and awful puns in the classroom. Something that the Gryffindors had started - more specifically Fred and George - was now spreading across the school.

“You should have saw the look on Professor Septima’s face when that stink bomb went off in the middle of her class,” Draco said. “It was hilarious,”

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she had a faint smile playing at the corner of her lips. “Yes, well, it would have been nice if she’d gotten around to giving us our homework assignment.”

Pansy rolled her eyes. “Oh, come _on_ miss goody two shoes! Live a little!”

“Leave her alone,” Blaise said. “Besides, we all know she’s just going to have us decode some ancient text into modern day english, or however the hell that whole thing works,”

Hermione sighed. “Blaise, that’s Ancient Runes. Arithmancy is like...divination, but ten times better and a whole lot more accurate.”

Ron stopped walking in his tracks. “Did she just give a summary without giving us three lectures and a practice test?”

The group laughed, but Hermione was frowning, a little blush beginning to color her cheeks. “That’s not funny,”

“But it’s true!” Ron laughed. “I mean, maybe Pansy is right,” he said, patting Hermione’s shoulder. “Let loose for once!”

“Today is as good a day as any,” Pansy said, pointing ahead of them to see a group of students running away as Professor Flitwick chased after them, his hair a bright pink color. “I mean, look around! Typical Hogwarts chaos,”

“I almost hate to say this, but I agree with Pansy,” Harry said. “I’d honestly take this over trying to fight an evil madman any day,”

“And here we go with the saviour speech, we get it Potter, you’re our guardian and saviour and we kneel before you,” Pansy teased.

Harry stuck his tongue out at her. “I’m just saying. Besides, this is the most fun I’ve had in months. Who knows what’s about to happen in DADA,”

“The twins just had her!” Ron said. “I bet they did something wicked,”

Hermione glared at the group. “Does anyone else see today as a bad sign!”

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Now, why are you upset?”

“I’m not?”

“Then have some fun,” Draco said with a shrug. “Look, I’m all for learning and better education, I mean we’ve been fighting each other for top marks since day one. But, cut yourself some slack. You’re really smart and intuitive, you can spend _one_ day just having a bit of fun, right?”

Hermione looked perplex, but she sighed in resignation. “Alright, _alright!_ ” she said upon the groups persisting urges of agreement. “But just this once! After that, it’s back to work, and I’m serious! We’ve got a lot of work to do before we’re ready to-”

“Granger, O.W.L.S are _months_ away. You’ve got time,” Pansy said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Hermione seemed to relax a bit at that, taking a deep breath and sighing. “Yeah...yeah, okay. But only for today,”

Ron gave Hermione a satisfying look, Draco and Harry shared a look, and Blaise just rolled his eyes. As they entered inside of the DADA classroom, most of the students were already there, telling jokes and showing off their Weasley toys that they most likely bought off the twins in between classes. Ron still had his own stash he had gotten off the twins, and he’d been slowly testing them out over the past few weeks.

“I bet they locked her in her office,” Dean said from across the room.

“Or maybe they actually transfigured her into a toad!” Seamus replied.

“She’s probably just grading our tests,” Neville said nervously.

“I bet she’s up there with McGonagall,” Harry said, laughing.

Draco snickered beside him. “What are you implying?”

Harry laughed even harder, waggling his eyebrows at the blond.

“Will you two behave?” Hermione hissed, causing the two boys to laugh even louder.

Pansy, who sat beside her, snorted. “They do this all. The. Time,”

“Nonstop,” Blaise commented.

“Cat jokes one after the other,” Ron said.

“Hey, we can’t help it!” Draco defended. “We just come up with the purr-fect puns,”

Harry continued to laugh. “You’re gonna make me cry, stop!”

Draco was about to reply with another pun, when the door to Umbridge’s office burst open. Out came a disheveled looking woman in pink, her breathing a bit heavy as she held her wand tightly in one hand, and cup of tea in the other. “Hello class!” she greeted with cheer.

The class kind of looked around at each other in confusion.

“I _said_ hello class!”

When no one said anything, continuing on with their own conversations, she frowned, placing her hands on her hips and clearing her throat. “Hem hem! _Hem hem!_ ”

The class once again quieted down as Umbridge made her way down the stairs and stood in front of the class, placing her teacup down behind her on the desk. “Well?”

The class sighed. “Good afternoon Professor Umbridge,”

“Well done! Now, you all know the drill. Wands away, books up! We have a lot of material to go over,”

“Doubt it,” Harry mumbled.

“Ssh,” Draco swatted Harry’s arm. “If you get detention with her, I can’t get you out of it.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “I’m not stupid,” Draco gave him a weary look. “Oh shut it. Besides, I actually _enjoy_ playing quidditch, I’m not trying to jeopardize it,”

“Good,” Draco said. “So you can behave for the next hour or so?”

Harry smirked, winking at his boyfriend. “I won’t make any promises,”

Draco blushed madly. “Harry…”

“I’m behaving!” he said, reaching for his parchment to take notes. “See? I’m being studios,”

“You mean studious?”

“What’s the difference?”

Draco sighed, going back to his notes. “You’re lucky you’re cute,”

Umbridge stood at the front of the room addressing the class as she fixed her clothing. “I think the twins really _did_ lock her in her office,” Ron said as she had clearly been fighting with the door. She had wood splinters in her hair, her bright pink dress had a bit of wear and tear to it, she was highly frazzled, and the door to her office was currently swinging slowly back and forth off of its hinges.

She quickly changed that however, when upon all the staring, she casted a few quick spells and tidied up both herself and the door, putting it back in place. “Well, now class, shall we get started?” she said, walking over to pick up a piece of chalk. Ever since the last incident, she’s been prone to hand write her lectures now, causing the class to go by even longer. The class groaned collectively, as she also tended to do that thing which made the chalkboard screech in agony, but apparently it was music to her evil ears.

Only this time when she went to grab the piece of chalk, she couldn’t move it.

“Oh, ha,” she said, trying with all her might, but being unable to pick up the tiny piece of rock. “Whoever did this, can end the spell now,” she said, stepping back and crossing her arms.

The class looked around in genuine confusion. “Ron?” Hermione whispered urgently.

He shook his head. “Not me this time.”

Umbridge huffed, moving to transfigure one of her quills into a piece of chalk, only for the spell to rebound off the quill and transfigure a lightbulb into a bouncy ball. The class laughed, and Umbridge _humphed_ as she incinerated the ball and turned back to her desk. “This isn’t funny, class! Honestly, sticky charms, what are you, first years?” she said, reaching for her DADA textbook instead, only to find _that_ stuck to her desk as well. “Oh for Merlin’s sake—it’s time for this foolishness to stop!” she said, moving around her desk to pull out a drawer where she keeps extra supplies, only to find that closed shut as well.

The more frustrated she became, the harder it was for the class to keep their cool. A couple of students looked slightly alarmed, but even Hermione was finding the sight of a panicked Umbridge quite laughable. Meanwhile, Umbridge was trying everything, unsticking charms, blasting charms, even levitation charms weren’t working.

“What happened to no need for practical use of magic?” Harry snorted. “Can she even do magic?”

Draco was having a hard time controlling himself. “Your sarcasm is not helping my situation!” he said, barely able to contain his laughter.

“It just comes out,” Harry said, shrugging.

Umbridge sighed. “Last class, I was able to teach just fine, and now all of a sudden, everything is turned upside down!” she said. “I want answers, and I want them now!”

“Maybe someone from your last class did it?” Daphne said. “I mean, you were in your office, whose to say?”

“Yeah!” Dean said. “What makes you think it was us?”

Suddenly, the whole class was in an uproar, defending themselves, and throwing the other houses under the bus—but all in good fun.

“The Ravenclaws are _way_ smarter!” Theo said. “No way a Gryffindor could have done this!”

“Those Hufflepuffs are evil!” Lavender said. “Cute...but evil!”

“Maybe it was the seventh years,” Pansy said. “You know what stress can do to the brain,”

“Maybe it was Dumbledore,”

“Maybe you did it, and you’re just trying to frame us!”

“I bet it was _You—Know—Who!_ ”

“Probably a muggleborn—you know—since their evil and all,” Harry said sarcastically.

“Maybe it was Snape, you know he’s jealous because he wants to teach this class,”

“Anyone ever stop to consider that maybe it’s the giant squid?”

 _”Enough!”_ Umbridge roared, silencing the class. The room was deadly silent, they could hear another teacher lecturing down the hall. Umbridge was fuming, and the students were scared they’d finally hit a nerve.

But then, her face cleared, and she gave them all a warm smile, laughing a bit in hysteria. “You’re right. _Clearly_ there needs to be an investigation in order to figure out who has been pulling all of these pranks,” she said, reaching over to grab her cup of tea. It was the one thing she had carried out with her from her office and had sat down on the desk.

Only when she went to pick it up, a long string of gum was attached to the bottom of her cup. Some laughed, and others groaned in disgust. Most, like Ron, were worried that it might have been exploding gum, and were waiting with bated breath to see what would happen.

Umbridge made an ugly face, peeling the gum away, and throwing it aside. The class sighed in relief as she went to take a sip, the gum obviously being harmless. As she brought the cup up to her lips to take a drink, the tea, however, began to bubble, and the the teacup began to growl, taking a bit at her nose.

Ron gasped. “Biting teacups!” he said, as the cup latched on to Umbridge’s nose, splashing tea down her pink dress. She screamed in pain, both from the bite and the hot tea, as she tried to fight it off of her face. Some students laughed, others screamed. Most watched on in horror.

“I think we should go…” Harry said, slowly standing up from his seat.

“Great idea, Potter,” Draco said, standing as well.

“If he’s out, I’m out!” Pansy said, packing up all her things and following the boys.

“Ditto!” Ron said, grabbing Hermione by the hand and yanking her out of her chair. The class quickly caught onto what was going on, and quickly gathered their belongings before heading out of the door.

By the time Umbridge got the cup off of her, and tidied herself up, her class was gone. She let out a scream of outrage and frustration that echoed throughout the castle. The group of Slytherins and Gryffindors had ran as fast as they could out of the room and down the hall. “Follow me!” on of the students shouted, as they managed to go up a flight of stairs for safe measure, all escaping into an unused classroom on the fourth floor. They could hear Umbridge below them, fuming, and it made them all laugh.

“That was close!” Ron said, catching his breath.

“She’s _so_ going to kill us!” Milli said.

“Or get us all expelled!” Lavender said, standing next to Parvati.

“I doubt it,” Daphne said, standing next to Pansy. “She can’t expel _all_ of us,”

“We’ll probably get a year's worth of detention though,” Neville said, sounding worried.

“Totally worth it,” Pansy argued with an evil smile.

“So, what do we do now?” Hermione asked.

“We could just hide in here,” Milli said, standing next to Theo.

“No way,” Theo said. “I’ll go look out in the hallway,”

“No, I’ll go,” Draco said. “Part of the Inquisitorial squad, remember? What’s the worst she could do?”

“I’ll come with,” Pansy said, walking over to Draco.

“Be careful,” Harry urged as the two left the classroom.

\---

They both walked to opposite ends of the hallway, making sure no one was around. After deciding the coast was clear, the two began to walk back towards the rest of the group, when they heard footsteps coming up in the stairwell. The two didn’t have time to make it back inside of the classroom, before McGonagall was at the top of the staircase.

“Oh! And just what are you two doing outside of class?”

“Looking for Umbridge!” Pansy said in a panic. “I mean…”

“She stormed out of the classroom and we didn’t know where she ran off to,” Draco supplied.

“That’s not what she’s been telling everyone else,” McGonagall said with a wavering look. “Come with me, you two,”

The two students paled. “Where are we going?”

“To Professor Umbridge’s office, of course,”

\---

Once the hallway was once again clear, many of the students breathed a sigh of relief. A handful, did not, however.

“Crap, crap, _crap!_ ” Harry muttered, pacing the room.

“We have to go get them!” Daphne said.

“But how?” Neville said. “We’ll all get in trouble for sure,”

“Are you a Gryffindor or not?” Millicent snapped.

“Hey! Calm down!” Hermione chided.

“Yeah, we’ll figure something out,” Ron said.

“Umbridge’s office is on the floor below us,” Theo said. “We could split off somehow. Maybe another Slytherin can get inside her office, or a Gryffindor could go in, asking for McGonagall.”

“I can,” Hermione said. “I’m a Prefect, it be pretty believable,”

“What about me?” Harry said.

“This will never work!” Dean said. “This is so predictable,”

“I may have an idea,” Seamus said.

Blaise looked skeptical. “I guess it’s better than nothing,”

“Hey! Just hear me out, yeah?”

The rather large group huddled together in a circle as Seamus laid out the plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be up! :)
> 
> Also, new characters, as well as a new couple have been tagged :D *happy dances*


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prank Wars Part II :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say, enjoy part two!

When Draco and Pansy entered inside of Umbridge’s office it was...a sight to say the least. The twins had obviously been in here prior, seeing as the office was in total chaos. The door that had been fixed earlier had clearly been locked, as it was damaged on the other side, clearly from all the spells and hexes Umbridge had thrown at it. On top of that, parchment was everywhere and it labeled various things, from the door to the desk and her many cat plates. The room was covered from head to toe in these little labels and Umbridge was still going around trying to pry them off. Sitting on top of her desk was about a dozen biting teacups snapping at each other. The doorknob was also under a similar charm as it had sharp teeth as well, biting whoever tried to open it, hence way the door was never closed, just left slightly ajar. Clearly, the twins had only charmed one side of it, as the other side appeared to be in perfect condition.

Other than that, there were cat plates on the floor, some cat food had been spilled over, there was cat fur everywhere, the carpet was scratched up, there was the tell tale signs of a stink bomb having went off, and the walls were peeling, the pink stripping off to reveal boring white walls.

McGonagall cleared her throat, clearly only just now seeing the office. Umbridge, who was now completely covered in sticky notes, turned around. “Oh! Minerva! I see you’ve brought me some students!”

“Well, yes, you said if I saw anyone roaming around the halls—”

“Yes yes, I remember,” she said. “So! You two,”

Draco and Pansy both shared an uneasy look. “Professor?”

“I want to know everything, and I want to know everything now,” she said in a calm yet threatening voice.

“Well…”

“What exactly…”

“Don’t!” she began. “Play dumb with me! I know something is going on, and I know you two are hiding it, so spill!”

Draco and Pansy shared another one of their famous looks, not entirely sure of what to do, when the door opened, revealing three more people. In came Filch, followed by Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe. “I’ve found some suspicious looking students!” he said.

“We haven’t done anything!” Cho said.

“We were just waiting for class to start!” Marietta defended.

Draco and Pansy raised an eyebrow, still giving each other skeptical looks. Draco didn't care much for Cho—and not just because Harry used to have a huge crush on her!—and so didn't know what to make of the current situation. Clearly, Pansy could care less about the two Ravenclaws as she was more concerned about Umbridge’s interrogation.

“Thank you Filch, that will be all,” Umbridge said, glaring at the two students.

“Yes, m’lady,” he replied with an eerie smile, before backing up out of the room.

“While we wait for the others to show,” Umbridge said, walking around her desk to face the students, “let me ask again, for our newcomers. _What_ is _going on_?”

Cho and her friend spared a glance towards the two Slytherins. “We haven't a clue what you're—”

“Enough!” Umbridge shouted. “Now I've played these foolish games of yours, and now I'm done! Minerva, if you would please?” She said, holding out a hand.

Mcgonagall sighed. “Dolores, I don't think-”

“Hem hem!”

Mcgonagall sighed, handing her a clear vial of what Draco could only assume was veritaserum. Draco felt uneasy and pansy looked nauseous. Cho and Marietta also picked up on what it was, as they both looked clearly alarmed.

“Now, unless you want me to use this, you will—”

“Professor Umbridge!” Hermione cried, running into the room. “I’m sorry to bother you, I just need to speak with—”

“Now hold on just a minute, Miss Granger!” Umbridge said. “If you could kindly wait outside—”

“But this can't wait!” she urged, turning to professor Mcgonagall. “It's Harry and Ron! They've...well, they've transfigured—”

“I said this could wait!”

“Hermione, it's bad!” Theo said, running into the room, out of breath.

“Oh no, what now?”

“He's grown a third arm,”

Hermione gasped, Cho and Marietta looked even more frightened, and Draco and pansy held back the urge to roll their eyes.

“What's happened?” Mcgonagall asked.

“It doesn’t look good,” Theo said.

Just then, Blaise and Seamus entered into the room. “Guys what are you doing?” Seamus yelled. “They need help now!” Blaise said.

“I think it's too late,” Dean said, walking into the room, carrying something under a blanket.

“What in heaven's name—” Mcgonagall began, rushing over.

“Is this another prank?” Umbridge bellowed.

“No ma’am,” the students replied.

Pansy began to play along. “What is it?” she asked shakily, moving over to take the blanket off.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” Dean warned.

“It can't be that bad,” Draco sniffed. “This _is_ Potter we're talking about,”

“No, no, it's bad, I tell you, bad!” Seamus said.

“What’s all this?” Dumbledore asks, finally entering into the room.

“Oh, Albus, finally!” Umbridge cries. “These—these students! They’re all mad!” she cried.

“I highly doubt that, Dolores,” Dumbledore said calmly. Behind him walked in three hufflepuff students; Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbout. The office was filling up fast, and Draco was unsure of how many more people could possibly fit.

“And just what do _you_ three want?” Umbridge snapped.

Dumbledore held up a hand. “I’ve brought them with me,”

Umbridge huffed. “I demand some answers!”

Suddenly, the blanket Dean was holding began to quiver and shake. Those surrounding him gasped and took a step back.

“Is it supposed to be doing that?” Theo asked in genuine alarm.

“Um...no, I would say not!” Dean said, beginning to panic.

“Where’s Harry?” Cho asked. At the look Draco gave her, she quickly added, “And Ron!”

“Well...that’s the problem,” Hermione said.

Ernie frowned. “But I just—”

“Quiet!” Blaise shouted. “Somethings happening!”

“Oh for the love of—!” Umbridge cried.

The blanket Dean was holding suddenly fell out of his hands and two rats, one black, and one red—indeed with an extra arm—started running around the room. Umbridge let out a loud shriek as the others tried to run around the room, avoiding the two creatures. McGonagall tried casting a couple of spells at them, but nothing was working. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were at a loss for words, but the Gryffindors were doubled over in laughter.

“Come on! While they’re distracted,” Hermione said, as they all escaped out of the room.

As everyone left Umbridge’s office, meeting Ron, Harry, and the others outside the classroom, they all started heading towards the great hall. Everyone sighed a breath of relief now that they were no longer being interrogated by Umbridge.

Just as they were rounding the corner to enter into the main hall, a loud bang could be heard, followed by the ground shaking underneath them. The students faltered a bit, trying to keep from falling over as they tried to figure out what was going on.

“What’s happening?” Dean yelled over all the commotion.

“Dunno…” Seamus said.

“Ugh, smells horrible!” Millicent said.

The halls began to fog up, becoming almost impossible to see anything around them. They all casted a _lumos_ to try and clear the way. They could hear students running around, professors yelling at students, and...laughter?

The group large group of fifth years finally made it around the corner, to see the great hall being evacuated of all students, professors directing them this way and that, the Head Boy and Girl with them, along with the two Ravenclaw Prefects.

“We should probably go up there,” Hermione said.

The others nodded, Ron, Pansy, Draco, Ernie and Hannah following behind as they made their way over to Professor Flitwick and Professor Snape. Harry lead the others over towards their respective houses.

“There you guys are!” George exclaimed when he saw the other Gryffindors approaching. “You guys missed it!” Fred said.

“What happened?” Lavender asked.

“Did you guys do this?” Harry asked.

“No, not us!” George said, sounding just a tad disappointed. “No one knows who it was!” Fred said.

“One moment, we were sitting down, ready to eat,” Angelica said.

“And the next thing we know, we can’t see a thing!” Alicia finished.

“Everyone is going mad!” Lee said, standing on the other side of Fred. “Everyone’s assuming it’s us Gryffindors, but—”

“It couldn’t have been, right?” Katie said. “I mean, we had all been taking our N.E.W.T.S practicals, you all were in detention or whatever, and everyone else was in class,”

“Therefore, it couldn’t have been a Gryffindor, or at least not a seventh or fifth year,” Angelica said.

“Wait, how’d you know about—”

“Oh, everyone knows!” George said. “You’ve been driving Umbridge mad!” Fred said. “It’s all she ever talks about,”

“But then, it couldn’t have been a Slytherin either,” Harry said. “They’ve been with us the whole time,”

“So, that leaves Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw,” Dean said.

“My money’s on Ravenclaw,” Neville said. “They’ve been wanting to get back at us for _forever_ now, remember?”

Just then, Hermione and Ron came running over. “Apparently, someone set off some kind of stink bomb,” Ron said.

“Except, I’ve never seen one do this kind of damage before,” Hermione said, as the hallways were still extremely cloudy and smelled of rotten eggs and dead fish. “Someone must have tampered with it,”

The Gryffindors all looked around at each other. “Ravenclaw,”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Anyways, we’re just going to have to wait until everything clears out, unless we can find another solution.”

Suddenly, Draco and Pansy appeared out of the hazy fog. “I think we’ve got ourselves a prank war on our hands,” Draco said.

“What, how?” Ernie said, also appearing out of nowhere, Hannah right behind him.

Harry sighed. “Probably because of us,” by the confused looks on their face, Harry went into more detail. “A couple weeks ago, we pulled a prank on Umbridge, and we ended up putting the blame on Ravenclaw,”

“They’ve been upset about it ever since,” Neville said. “Luna said they’ve been planning something for ages,”

“I guess now was the time they decided to attack, and apparently they’re trying to put the blame on Gryffindor, only none of us were around to have committed the crime,” Draco said.

“And, the Ravenclaws had all been waiting for class to start anyways, when we had been up in Umbridge’s office,” Pansy said. “Looks awfully suspicious to me,”

“Not to mention the makeup of the stink bomb,” Hermione said. “We might just have a problem,”

“So, what do we do now?” Ernie asked. “We can’t possible participate in this!”

“I think it’s too late,” Blaise said, walking over to the group now. “Once a war has been declared, you can’t back out.”

“Let me guess,” Hannah said exasperated. “Something about ancient magic or something?”

Blaise nodded. “Until one party wins or all other parties concedes, we’re stuck,”

\---

After about an hour or so, the halls cleared up just enough to where they could see without needing to cast a _lumos_ , and so he students all headed back into the dining hall where dinner was finally served. After everyone ate, the Prefects were to direct their housemates immediately back to their respective dorms, no ifs, ands, or buts. Some students groaned and complained about wanting to head to the library, but McGonagall quickly shut them up, and everyone was escorted back to their houses.

As the Gryffindors made their way out of the front hall and towards the staircases, Ron frowned, noticing the hourglasses with all of the houses total points. “Hey, when did we get ten extra points?” he asked.

Harry began to blush. “Probably a first year,” he said.

Ron shrugged, letting it go.

Up in the Gryffindor tower, the lower years didn’t hang around much, opting for an early night in. The sixth years kind of just mingled around doing this or that, and the seventh years sat off towards the back, doing homework and studying since they couldn’t go down to the library. Once again, however, the fifth years all sat sprawled out in front of the fireplace, conversations from dinner carrying over to now. As usual, Ginny was the only fourth year allowed into their little circle, much to Ron’s dislike.

“And that’s all I know,” Ginny said. “Or at least that’s everything Luna has told me,”

“So what do we do?” Neville asked.

“We get revenge of course!” Dean said.

“No!” Hermione said. “This has gone on for too long!”

“I agree,” Lavender said. “I don’t want to prank the Ravenclaws,”

“I think you’re right,” Harry said, causing a groan from most of the guys, but he held up a hand to silence them. “I _don’t_ think we should prank the Ravenclaws. I say we prank the Hufflepuffs instead,”

“But, why?” Seamus asked. “I mean, I’m down for anything,”

“Because,” Harry started, “We’ve already gotten the Ravenclaws in trouble, and now they’ve tried to get us back. Not to mention Umbridge hates us and now McGonagall is watching our every move. As far as I see it, we’re even. But, the Hufflepuffs don’t want to be bothered, they feel they’re safe because they haven’t done anything,”

Ron beamed. “So, if we prank them—”

“Then they’ll have no choice but to join!” Seamus said. “That’s bloody brilliant!”

“So, what’s the plan?” Dean asked.

“Ugh! Boys!” Hermione complained, as she got up to go do some homework in the corner. “I will _not_ be a part of this!”

“Oh come on, Mione, loosen up!”

“I’m with her,” Lavender said. “Me too!” Parvati replied, both girls standing up to follow behind her.

The boys all rolled their eyes and continued on with their plan to prank the Hufflepuffs. As the hours passed by, the common room began to empty out, until only a few mingled about. Harry and Dean were in a heated debate about quidditch, Ron and Hermione were playing chess, and Neville and Ginny sat on the couch watching between the two, having conversations of their own.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the portrait door, and everyone turned to look at each other in confusion, before the portrait swung open. In came McGonagall with a handful of Slytherins.

“Good Evening everyone,” McGonagall greeted the six Gryffindors. “It appears that we have a bit of a, um...situation,” Behind her stood the Fifth year Slytherins, including an irritated Draco, a fuming pansy, a grumpy Blaise, a couple of sleepy eyed Sixth years, and a disgruntled Seventh year. “It seems that the Slytherins will be...unable to sleep in their own quarters tonight,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 awaits!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prank War Part III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is my favorite ;)

“What happened?” Hermione asked, standing up and walking over to McGonagall.

“ _Someone_ decided that it would be a _great_ idea to flood the _fuc—_

“Mr. Malfoy!”

“Sorry,” he grumbled with his arms crossed.

“Someone flooded the dungeons,” Blaise finished.

“We were told to go sleep in the great hall, but—” Pansy began.

“After some reconsideration, I, along with the other professors, decided that other arrangements should be met,” McGonagall concluded. “The Slytherins have been divided between the other three houses; first and second years in Hufflepuff, third and fourth years with Ravenclaw, Fifth and Sixth years here in Gryffindor, and the seventh years split between the three to keep an eye on everyone. I assume you all can figure out the sleeping arrangements?”

The Gryffindors all nodded in agreement, standing up and walking over to the group of twenty or so Slytherins. “We'll figure something out Professor,” Hermione said.

“You can count on us!” Ron replied.

She simply bowed her head before exiting back out of the portrait. The Slytherins all sighed in relief. “Well, at least they aren’t kicking us out,” one of the sixth years said.

“Why would they?” another replied.

Harry rolled his eyes. “We’re not kicking anyone out, we just…”

“Need to make space,” Neville said. “We can probably move some desks around and expand the couch,”

“I’ll go get some blankets,” Hermione said.

“I’ve got the pillows!” Ginny chimed in.

As the Slytherins all made themselves comfortable around the common room, taking in their surroundings, the Gryffindors all worked on making space for them to sleep in. It didn’t take much, but they wanted the atmosphere to be inviting and welcoming.

“One of you girls can come sleep in my dorm,” Hermione said.

“Mine too,” Ginny said.

“Some of you can share the couch, and we put some cushioning charms down in front of the fireplace,” Neville said, pointing to the makeshift bed on the floor of piled fluffy pillows and wool knitted blankets.

Eventually, after dividing everyone up, they were able to come up with a solution. The Sixth years decided to stay in the common room, along with the one Seventh year, and a few Fifth years, including Theo, Crabbe and Goyle. Pansy went with Hermione, while Daphne and Milli went with Ginny. Blaise and Draco were left standing in the corner with Ron, Harry, and Neville.

“Guess you’re stuck with us,” Neville said, leading the way up the stairs.

“You sure you don’t want to come with us, Nott?” Ron asked.

He shrugged, warming his hands in front of the fire. “I’ll join you guys if I get bored.”

Ron shrugged, following Neville up the staircase. Blaise turned to look at the blushing Gryffindor and Slytherin. “I’ll just...give you two a minute,” he said, turning to follow behind Ron.

Harry took a deep breath, turning to face Draco. “So…”

Draco smiled sheepishly. “What? It’s not like we’ve never slept together before,”

“Why do you have to say it like that?”

“Like what?”

Harry laughed, shaking his head. “Nevermind, come on.” he said, grabbing Draco’s hand and leading him up the stairs. Harry didn’t know why he was so nervous. They were going to be sharing a room with, what was usually five, but was now seven other boys. Possibly eight if Theo decided to come join them. Plus, Draco was right, it’s not like they haven’t done this before.

So why was his heart racing so fast?”

“Relax,” Draco said, squeezing Harry’s hand as they reached the door leading into the fifth year’s dormitory. “It’s not like we’re going to fu—”

“Draco!”

“What? We’re not!”

Harry rolled his eyes, pushing the door open. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Keep me, hopefully,”

Harry smiled at that as he gazed around the room. Dean and Seamus were both cuddled up together on one bed, giving Blaise the now vacant one. Neville sat on the end of his bed, finishing up some last minute homework, and Ron sat in the middle of his, eating some snacks from his not-so-hidden stash under his bed.

Harry gave Draco a warm smile. “My bed it is then.”

Ron snorted, and Harry sent him a glare. Draco rolled his eyes. “Maybe I want to share with Blaise,” the blond teased, walking over towards Blaise.

Blaise, who was already laying down on the bed, opened an eye, before closing it. “Don’t even think about it,”

Draco huffed, turning back around. Harry was laughing. “You know what? You can have my bed. I think I’ll share with my good ole buddy Ronald,” he said.

“Now wait just a minute!” Ron began to protest, but Harry was already plopping down on his bed, stealing one of Ron’s candy bars.

The others laughed. “Hey, you can always join us,” Dean said.

“Are you two dating yet?” Harry asked, rolling over to face the two.

Seamus was blushing madly. “I haven’t a clue—”

“Oh come _on_ ,” Blaise said, sitting up on his bed. “We’ve never even associated with one another, and I know you two have got something going on,”

“He’s got a point,” Neville said. “It’s kind of obvious,”

“ _Very_ obvious,” Ron said around a mouthful of chocolate.

Draco rolled his eyes. “As obvious as it may be, maybe they just aren’t ready yet,”

Blaise snorted. “Oh, this coming from the guy who's had a crush on ‘the boy who lived’ since primary school,”

Now Draco was blushing madly. “Shut up!”

“You mean you’ve liked him since before you two even met?” Dean asked amused.

“Well, the bloke _is_ famous,” Ron said, ruffling Harry’s hair. “Defeating Voldemort and whatnot.”

“Shut up,” Harry said, shoving Ron, but he was laughing. “I think it’s cute,” he said, turning his gaze back to Draco.

Draco’s blush only seemed to spread at that. “Shut up, Potter.”

“Make me,” he said, sticking his tongue out.

“Oh, here they go again,” Dean teased.

“Tell me about it,” Blaise said.

“It never stops,” Ron complained.

“Please tell me we aren’t this bad,” Seamus whispered.

“Never,” Neville said. “You two are much more discreet,”

“Wait, what?” Draco said, perking up again. “Are you two secretly dating?”

“Well, it wouldn’t _have_ to be a secret if _somebody_ —” Dean began.

“I bloody _knew it!_ That’s two in a row!” Ron shouted, bouncing on his bed, effectively knocking Harry off.

“Oi!” he yelled as his body hit the ground.

“Sorry,” Ron said sheepishly as the others continued to laugh.

“Oh, come here, you big baby,” Draco cooed, pulling Harry up onto his bed.

Harry pouted his lips, laying his head against Draco’s shoulder. “Ron’s being mean to me,”

“Am not!” the redhead defended.

“Are too!” Harry replied.

“Ssh,” Draco soothed, patting Harry’s head. “It’s okay,”

“You guys are unbelievable,” Blaise said.

“Are we just going to ignore the fact that _those two are dating?!_ ” Neville exclaimed.

“Yeah, how long has _that_ been going on?”

Dean and Seamus both shared a look. “Since the Ravenclaw vs Hufflepuff quidditch game,” Seamus said with a blush.

“You guys were teasing us about dating, but then I figured, hey...why not?” Dean said.

“Aww!” Neville said.

“See? They don’t care!” Dean said.

“It’s not _them_ I’m worried about!” Seamus defended.

Harry frowned. “Who then?”

“My parents, obviously!”

Draco snorted. “Fuck them,”

“Draco!”

“Malfoy!”

“ _What?!_ ”

Harry swatted his arm. “Behave!”

“I’m just saying! I mean do you _honestly_ think that my parents approve of this?” Draco said, gesturing between the two of them. “My parents literally work for the man who wants to _kill you _. Should we start planning the wedding?”__

__The room was silent, but Harry only smiled. “You want to get married?”_ _

__Draco rolled his eyes. “So not the point, Potter,”_ _

__“Draco’s got a point though,” Blaise said. “I mean, his family _does_ hate you,”_ _

__Harry shrugged. “Well then, we’ll deal with it when the time comes, right?” Harry asked, not taking his eyes off of Draco._ _

__Draco smiled. “Always?”_ _

__Harry’s eyes gleamed, “Always,” he said, leaning in to kiss him._ _

__“Make it stop!” Dean teased._ _

__“My eyes!” Seamus yelled, covering them._ _

__“I’m seriously going to barf,” Blaise said in all seriousness._ _

__“I can’t take this overload of fluffiness,” Neville said._ _

__Draco ignored them, pulling Harry in closer, cupping his hands on both sides of Harry’s face, deepening the kiss. Harry sighed into it, wrapping an arm around Draco’s waist. Draco hummed, enjoying the feel of Harry being so close to him. It amazed him that after all this time, he still felt butterflies._ _

__“Are they going to stop?” Neville asked, as the two boys continued to make out._ _

__“I hope not!” Dean said enthusiastically, earning a pillow to the head from Seamus. “What?”_ _

__“You’re a pervert,”_ _

__“Just looking for some inspiration,” he said, waggling his eyebrows._ _

__“Gross,” Blaise said._ _

__Draco pulled away from the heated kiss. “Shut it, unless you want the Weasel here—”_ _

__“You wouldn’t _dare!_ ” Blaise sneered._ _

__Ron looked up from one of his many quidditch magazines, chocolate now coating half of his face. “Wait, what?”_ _

__Neville snorted. “Nothing, I’m going to bed,”_ _

__“Not until you spill some dirt!” Seamus said._ _

__“Yeah, tell us who you like!” Dean said._ _

__“What are we, thirteen year old girls?” Draco asked._ _

__“Says the guy literally sitting in Harry Potter’s lap,” Blaise laughed._ _

__Harry frowned. “Yeah, how’d that happen anyways?”_ _

__Draco scoffed. “God, but you’re cute,”_ _

__The others laughed, as Harry continued to look on confused. “Did I miss something?”_ _

__“Only that you’re oblivious to everything, mate,” Ron laughed._ _

__“Am not!”_ _

__“Harry, what color are my eyes?”_ _

__He frowned, staring at Ron. “Brown—no, green, I’m pretty sure green,”_ _

__Ron rolled his eyes. “Their blue, mate. How long have we known each other?”_ _

__Harry looked even more confused. “I thought Ginny had blue eyes,”_ _

__Ron facepalmed. “Ginny has _brown_ eyes! And so does Percy and the twins. Me and Bill have Blue, and _Charlie_ is the only one with green eyes.”_ _

__“Huh,”_ _

__Draco was laughing uncontrollably now, much like the other Gryffindors, plus Blaise. “Do you know the color of my eyes?”_ _

__“Grey with just a hint of blue around the iris. Like a stormy blue. It’s hard to notice if you’re not paying attention.” he said, never looking away from Ron._ _

__The room was once again silent for a moment or two._ _

__“Bloody hell, mate,” Ron said._ _

__Harry blinked a few times, looking around the room. “What?”_ _

__Draco shook his head. “You. Are. Amazing,” he said, leaning in to kiss Harry again._ _

__“Annnd, there they go,” Ron said, falling backwards onto his bed. “I’m going to sleep,” he said, closing his curtains._ _

__A chorus of “nights” could be heard around the room as he turned off his bedside light and crawled under the covers._ _

__“Wait, why does he get to go to sleep?”_ _

__Blaise snorted. “Because we already know who he likes,” he said with an eye roll._ _

__“Oh yeah!” Dean said, sitting up again. “Spill!”_ _

__Neville began to blush again. “Oh, well...I don’t know—”_ _

__“Come one, Nev,” Seamus said. “Luna or Ginny, pick one!”_ _

__Harry pulled away from Draco’s heated kisses, frowning “I thought you liked Ginny?”_ _

__“Look who's not so oblivious!” Seamus teased._ _

__Neville’s blush deepened. “Well, I mean...they’re both nice,”_ _

__“I’d personally go with Ginny,” Blaise commented._ _

__Draco pulled away from Harry’s kisses this time. “We _know_ ,”_ _

__“Shut up!”_ _

__“I’m just saying,” the blond muttered as he pulled Harry back in._ _

__“Wait, you like Ginny?” Ron said, popping out of his bed curtain._ _

__“Thanks Malfoy,” Blaise grumbled._ _

__“Unbelievable,” Ron said. “First Malfoy, now you?”_ _

__“What about me?” Neville asked._ _

__“What? No, you’re fine! It’s just Zambini is…”_ _

__“Slytherin?” Blaise supplied._ _

__“You’re...you!”_ _

__“What? Unworthy of your sister?”_ _

__“Annoying!”_ _

__Shouts of “ooh” and “burn!” could be heard around the room. Blaise rolled his eyes._ _

__“Seriously, I’m _just_ now getting used to Malfoy, you’re gonna have to wait your turn!”_ _

__Blaise scoffed. “As if she even likes me. And what about Neville! Surely she’d go for him before me,”_ _

__“But...Luna?” Dean asked._ _

__Neville’s blush was permanent at this point. “Can’t I like...both?”_ _

__Blaise was thoughtful. “Pansy used to have a crush on both Draco and me,”_ _

__Draco snorted._ _

__Ron shrugged. “Harry had a crush on Cho and Cedric,”_ _

__Draco pulled away again. “Wait, you _what?_ ”_ _

__Harry blushed madly. “We were talking about Neville! And way to throw me under the bus, Ron!”_ _

__“Sorry,”_ _

__“So, you’re not going to deny it?” Draco demanded._ _

__Harry shrugged. “What’s there to deny? I _did_ have a crush on them. Besides, you definitely dated Pansy all of last year,”_ _

__“So?”_ _

__“So, what’s it matter?”_ _

__“He’s got a point,” Blaise said. “Plus you had that huge crush on that Bulgarian guy,”_ _

__Ron frowned. “Krum?”_ _

__“No, I think it was his cousin.”_ _

__Draco was blushing madly now. “Shut it, Zambini,”_ _

__“Wait, is everyone in here gay, or…” Neville asked._ _

__Ron looked offended. “No! I mean, no offense obviously,”_ _

__Dean snorted. “Oh, we all know you’re a ladies man, _‘Won Won’_ ”_ _

__The dorm began to laugh as Ron began to blush._ _

__“I’m pretty sure the word you are looking for is bi,” Harry said, kind of nervously._ _

__Draco shuddered. “Nope. I’m done with girls. Been there, done that,”_ _

__Blaise laughed. “Oh, we know,”_ _

__Harry frowned. “What’s that mean?”_ _

__“And once again, he’s oblivious,” Seamus said._ _

__“What?” Harry questioned._ _

__Blaise rolled his eyes. “You know… _experimenting_ ”_ _

__“Okay, I haven’t slept with anyone,” Draco said while his own blush intensified, but then he smirked at Harry. “Well, not yet, anyways,” The room made fake gagging noises. “I’ve just made out with a few people here and there,”_ _

__“Well, please, no sleeping around in here!” Ron said, before glaring across the way. “That goes for you both as well!”_ _

__“I make no promises,” Dean said, waggling his eyebrows, earning another whack from Seamus._ _

__“In your dreams,”_ _

__“I plan on it,”_ _

__“Oh, now here _they_ go,” Neville groaned._ _

__“I’m seriously going to sleep,” Ron said, disappearing back inside his curtain._ _

__“Me too!” Neville said, closing his own before anyone else could protest._ _

__Blaise sighed. “Guess I’ll sleep too,” he said, drawing his curtains. “And you four better use privacy and silencing charms!”_ _

__“Yessir!” the four replied, before laughing._ _

__Dean and Seamus both closed their curtains, Draco and Harry doing the same. Draco casted the appropriate spells, while Harry got them situated under the covers. They were already in their PJ’s, so they didn’t have to worry about that._ _

__Harry laid down on his side, Draco turning around to face him as well. “Hi,”_ _

__Harry smiled warmly at the blond. “Hi,”_ _

__Draco leaned over, kissing Harry softly. “This is nice.”_ _

__Harry grinned. “Better than sleeping on the couch,”_ _

__Draco nodded in agreement. The two just laid there in silence, just staring into each other's eyes, enjoying the others company. It was relaxing, it didn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable._ _

__“I don’t want to sleep,” Draco finally said._ _

__Harry laughed, brushing a strand of hair off of Draco’s face. “We probably should though,”_ _

__“I bet Dean and Seamus aren’t” Draco said with a wicked gleam._ _

__Harry gave him a smirk of his own. “Well, we aren’t Seamus and Dean,”_ _

__“We could be,” Draco said, waggling his eyebrows. He scooted closer, nuzzling his head into Harry’s neck, beginning to leave a trail of kisses._ _

__Harry laughed. “Draco, stop! I am not doing anything with you while in a room filled with boys,”_ _

__“Hmm, sounds like a dream come true for me,”_ _

__“Oh, so you’re a voyeur now?”_ _

__“Hmm, Potter knows a big word,”_ _

__Harry rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”_ _

__Draco pulled away, looking into Harry’s eyes. He leaned forward, taking Harry’s bottom lip and sucking on it, before biting on it, and then pulling away. “Make me,”_ _

__Harry shivered. “Draco—”_ _

__“We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want,” he said, but there was still a gleam in his eyes._ _

__“Well, now you’re just teasing me,” Harry said, leaning in for another kiss._ _

__Draco hummed into the kiss, giving himself over to Harry. He loved feeling surrounded by the Gryffindor as the kiss began to deepen. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry as he slowly pushed the Slytherin down flat on his back, before moving most of his body weight on top of Draco._ _

__Harry pulled away slightly. “This okay?”_ _

__Draco nodded, carding his fingers through Harry’s thick hair that he loved so much. Harry smiled, leaning down to kiss him again, trailing his hands down Draco’s body and underneath his shirt. “I want to try something,” he whispered against Draco’s lips._ _

__Draco nodded his head again. “Anything,”_ _

__Harry smiled, leaning back down for another kiss as he began to tug on Draco’s shirt. After some quick maneuvering, the garment was thrown aside, exposing pale, unmarked skin. Harry smiled, running his hands over Draco’s upper body, causing him to shiver._ _

__“Get on with it, Potter,” Malfoy drawled, as he shivered at the touch._ _

__“Maybe if you ask nicely, Malfoy,” he teased, lightly playing with one of Draco’s nipples._ _

__He gasped. “Harry, please?”_ _

__“That’s better,” he said, leaning down to kiss the blond once more, before beginning a trail of kisses, kissing his cheeks, his nose, his chin, and down his neck, leaving a few bruises along the way. He loved the sounds Draco was making, and it urged him on as he continued down, biting along his collarbone, trailing both his hands and lips down to his chest._ _

__Draco loved the feel of Harry, unable to stop the sounds coming from his mouth as he carded his fingers through Harry’s hair. As he continued his trail of kisses, Harry placed a kiss over one of Draco’s nipples, before latching onto it, using his hand to play with the other one. Draco closed his eyes, letting out a long moan, his grip tightening as he removed one of hands from Harry's hair to dig into the bedsheets._ _

__Harry smiled around the pink flesh, giving it a lick, before beginning to lightly suck on the bud. Draco's back arched as he let out another long moan. Harry pulled off, moving over to the opposite nipple and giving it the same attention. Draco was just as responsive and it made Harry’s body shiver in response. He was so turned on right now, but he wanted to focus on Draco._ _

__He pulled off of Draco's nipple, causing a moan of protest._ _

__“Why'd you stop?”_ _

__“Because I need you to take your pants off.”_ _

__Draco gave a tiny whimper at that as he sat up to pull off his bottoms. Harry followed, taking off his clothes as well, leaving them both in only their boxers. Harry laid back down, in between Draco's legs, as he laid back as well against Harry's pillows. Harry began trailing kisses again, down his chest and over his navel, before reaching his desired destination._ _

__Draco watched on in anticipation as Harry stared down at Draco, before lightly mouthing over Draco's covered up member. Draco once again lightly arched his back as Harry continued his ministrations. After teasing him for a little bit longer, he finally pulled Draco's boxers down to expose his cock. Draco sighed, as Harry grasped it, giving it a few pumps._ _

__“Harry,” Draco moaned, biting down on his lip, but unable to stop the noises from flowing._ _

__Harry loved it though, and wanted to hear more. He leaned forward, and lightly licked a stripe from base to tip, just as an experiment. Seeing as he'd never done this before, nor has anyone done this to him, he figured he'd just go with his instinct. Luckily for him, his instinct was correct, as Draco gave a loud guttural moan as his back completely arched off the bed. Harry smiled, doing it again, licking from the base of Draco’s cock, up to the tip, this time adding a bit more pressure._ _

__Draco removed his other hand from Harry's hair, now gripping the bed sheets with both hands as he tried to control himself. “Harry, fuck,” he moaned._ _

__Harry smiled, hoping he didn't notice his blush, as he leaned forward and began to suck on the tip of Draco's cock, still lightly wanking him at the same time._ _

__“Harry!” Draco cried._ _

__Harry smiled, taking Draco a bit farther into his mouth, getting about halfway before he had to come back up again. He was out of breath, but it was worth it, as Draco was practically writhing under him._ _

__“Harry, Harry, Harry,” he kept chanting, and it was making Harry dizzy. His own cock was hard and aching from the lack of touch, but Harry still pushed forward as he tried to take Draco in his mouth again. This time he got down a little bit farther before having to come back up again, but Draco didn't have any complaints._ _

__“Harry, Harry,” Draco said, moving one of his hands back into his hair. “I'm not gonna last much longer,”_ _

__But that was okay for Harry, as he continued to lightly suck on the top, pumping Draco's cock the rest of the way, until the Slytherin was coming into his mouth with a long broken moan, his back once again arching off the bed._ _

__The taste of Draco was different, but it wasn't unwelcome as he swallowed down most of what Draco gave him. He slowly pulled off of Draco with a _pop_ , before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Draco laid against the bed, gasping for air, tugging on Harry's hair._ _

__Harry got the hint, moving up until he was hovering over the blond. Draco pulled him down for a scorching kiss. Harry rested against one elbow, using his other hand to rest against Draco's face. Draco had one hand in Harry's hair as usual, but he trailed the other hand down Harry's side and into the front of his boxers. Harry moaned as Draco began to pump his aching cock in a fast yet rhythmic movement. Harry rested their foreheads together, his breathing hard and uneven as he moaned out Draco's name. It wasn’t long before he was spilling into Draco's hand. Draco smiled, reaching up and kissing the gryffindor, silently casting a cleaning charm over the both of them._ _

__Harry sighed in content, rolling over onto his back. Draco rolled over as well, moving to lay against Harry’s chest, intertwining their legs together in the process. Harry smiled, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend as Draco snuggled into his side. “See? That wasn't so bad,” Draco said._ _

__Harry laughed, pulling the covers over them. “We are a bunch of pervs,”_ _

__Draco snorted. “Uh huh. How many times do you think dean and Seamus have done this with you, Ron, and Neville in the room?”_ _

__Harry sighed. “I don't want to think about it,”_ _

__Draco laughed, kissing Harry's cheek. “Goodnight, Potter,”_ _

__Harry smiled, kissing Draco's forehead. “Night, Malfoy.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess you'll just have to wait until I finish part 4...
> 
> Just kidding!! I's already posted ;)
> 
> also, can you believe there's only 10 more chapters left? I'm not crying, you're crying...


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prank War Part IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In google docs this chapter(19) ended up being 50 pages long, or if you prefer, over 14,000 words.
> 
> Sorry it took so long to post XD

The next morning, Draco woke up to a familiar warmth surrounding him. He smiled, nuzzling deeper into the pillow he was resting on. He didn’t want to get up yet, and seeing as it was the weekend, he figured sleeping in wasn’t too bad of an idea. Besides, he was surrounded by a familiar warmth smell—something woodsy yet sweet — and not typically found in his dorm.

Draco paused, cracking an eye open to reveal that he actually _wasn’t_ in his dorm. And then he closed his eyes, smiling wide as he remembered whose dorm he was actually in. As if reading his mind, the arm that was wrapped around him tightened. Harry took in a deep breath, nuzzling his head deeper into Draco’s hair, causing him to laugh.

“You awake?” Draco whispered. Harry grumbled something unintelligible as he pulled Draco tighter against his chest. “You sure are possessive when you're sleeping.”

Harry huffed. 

Draco sighed. “And grumpy,” Draco commented as he rolled over to face Harry. His arm tightened around Draco, but otherwise he didn’t move. Draco smiled. Call him weird, but he liked watching the Gryffindor sleep. He looked so peaceful. They’d all been stressed lately with O.W.L.S and quidditch, and everything else going on. But Harry looked calm, and Draco thought he looked adorable.

He placed a kiss on the end of Harry’s nose. “Wake up,”

Harry grumbled underneath his breath, but he cracked an eye open after some persisting. Draco was smiling at him and it brought Harry a tiny smile of his own. “Hi,”

Draco smiled wider at Harry’s green eye peeking out at him. “Hi,”

Now Harry opened both his eyes as he stared at the boy lying next to him. He smiled wider. “You’re really here,”

“Yes, so it would appear,”

Harry laughed. “A Slytherin, of all people,”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Yes, well, don’t get used to it,”

“Don’t think I could if I tried.”

Draco laughed, bringing a hand up to Harry’s face and leaning in. Harry took the hint, meeting him halfway, their lips meeting for a short, yet sweet kiss. Harry hummed as Draco lightly stroked his thumb across Harry’s cheek. Draco smiled, deepening the kiss a bit, before pulling away.

“Goodmorning, Harry,” he said with a bright smile.

Harry’s smile was just as bright as he nuzzled their noses together. “Goodmorning, my cute dragon,” 

Draco pulled away, wrinkling his nose in disgust, but he was blushing brightly from the pet name. “I’m not cute,”

Harry laughed, pecking his cheek. “Sure are. Come on, I bet the others are waking up,”

Draco groaned in protest, not wanting to leave the warmth of Harry’s bed, but followed his lead anyways, pulling the blankets off and crawling out of bed. The two had fallen asleep in just their pajama pants, and thus neither of them had a shirt on, causing them to shiver as they climbed out of bed. On either side of them, they could see Dean and Seamus struggling with the same issue.

Blaise snorted from across the room. “Rough night, you two—erm—four?”

Draco glared, Harry groaned, Seamus made a bit of a squeaking noise, and Dean only flashed him a bright smile. Neville shook his head laughing, and Ron looked torn between amusement and disgust.

“Did not need to know that,” Ron said, shaking his head violently. “Please save me all of the gory details,”

“Kind of hard to hide the details when they’re written all over Draco’s neck and Seamus’ chest.

Said boys looked down to see various bruises covering their body, clearly from their counterpart. Their blushes grew even deeper as they shared a glimpse between one another. Dean and Harry were blushing, but also looked way more smug than the situation may have called for.

Ron grunted. “It’s too early in the morning for this,” he said, climbing out of his own bed and heading out of the dorm.

The others laughed. “While he is being dramatic, I am starving,” Blaise said, following out the door behind him. The others nodded in agreement, foregoing changing into regular clothes as the lot trotted down to the common room together in their pajamas, the four boys putting on T-shirts of course. 

\---

“So, what’s the plan?” Dean asked,once they were all sitting around the breakfast table.

“We’re going to send the Hufflepuffs a message,” Harry said.

“What kind of message?” Neville asked.

Seamus laughed. “A ransom note,”

Neville frowned. “A what?”

“It’s a note made out of words cut out of magazines and stuff,” he said. “We’re going to send them a letter telling them that they need to watch out or the prank monster will get them...or something like that,”

“Yeah, we haven’t gotten that far yet,” Ron said, scratching his head.

“We also need to find a way to deliver the note to them,” Harry said. “It’s not like we can just slip it under their door or hand it to one of them,”

Dean shrugged. “Slip it into one of their bookbags?”

“Eh, but how effective would that be?” Ron said.

“Maybe try a howler?” George said, the twins clearly listening in on their conversation from across the table. “Just address it to Hufflepuff.” Fred finished.

“Less fun,” Seamus said with a frown, “but could work,”

The others nodded. “Now we just have to figure out what it’s going to say,”

\---

Breakfast went by smoothly, with no incidents. Classes were normal, and there were no more pranks in the hallways. Lunch was pretty average, and so were the rest of classes. By the end of dinner, nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, but for some reason, this was only making everyone that much more on edge. The Ravenclaws were all suspicious, the Slytherins were apprehensive, the Gryffindors were jumpy, and the Hufflepuffs were wary. Even the professors seemed to be on alert at all times.

The next day was even more bizarre. Random things were happening around the castle and no one knew why. There were cats roaming around the halls, random fireworks going off, and there had even been a massive food fight during lunch. Granted, Peeves was probably behind most of it, it still left the students feeling oddly uneasy.

And then the Slytherins got their revenge.

Not only that, but they managed to get the Gryffindors in the process. First, they ended up locking the Ravenclaws out of their dorm by charming their door to only accept the answer “because why not” to any riddle it asked. Of course that forced the teachers to do what they had done to the Slytherins the night before; separate them between the houses.

Of course the Ravenclaws refused, saying how when they were forced to sleep with the Slytherins, no good came out of it, which was true considering they _had_ flooded their house. So, instead the Ravenclaws were moved into the Great Hall, the tables and benches pushed aside to make room for makeshift beds for all the students.

Next, the Slytherins went up to Gryffindor tower, doing the opposite by locking them _inside_ their tower. They did this by convincing the Fat Lady to “take a break from all the rowdy Gryffindors”, and so she did, thus making the door unable to open or close—after of course the Slytherins casted a few handy charms at the painting.

The next morning, the Ravenclaws were bleary-eyed, and the Gryffindors were nowhere to be seen. However, their prank on the Hufflepuffs did not go unfinished, as a howler was sent to their table, effectively waking up all of the Ravenclaws and throwing the Slytherins off guard. The Howler said that if they didn’t pull off a prank in the next 24 hours, they’d be cursed to 1,000 years bad luck, causing all the Hufflepuffs to start freaking out. It was quite the sight to see, the Gryffindors were mad that they missed it, but everyone else, aside from the Hufflepuffs, were glad for it.

The following week went on like this, houses pranking each other back and forth. The Gryffindors got the Slytherins back by making _Malfoy smells_ badges, handing them out to students, and getting everyone to sing their new Gryffindor song at lunch; _tonight we are victorious, all gryffindors are glorious, slytherins don't have shit on us, tonight we are victorious!_. Hufflepuff pranked Ravenclaw by turning all of their textbooks into bunnies. The Ravenclaws, in return, casted a spell where every other word the Hufflepuffs said was a swear word. If that wasn’t bad enough, the Slytherins pranked the Hufflepuffs afterwards by convincing them today was opposite day. Harmless, yet downright catastrophic! In retaliation, the Hufflepuffs charmed the Slytherins to only be nice—no sarcastic remarks or snide comments.

Draco and Pansy felt they were living in agony.

Aside from that, there were still pranks on Umbridge, and random things happening in the halls. The professors were getting sick and tired of it all, detentions now becoming crowded, pretty much asking for a prank to happen.

Things were starting to grow out of hand fast. Someone had to draw the line somewhere.

\---

Draco and Harry had been walking around the grounds, hand in hand, when Ernie had walked up to them, asking them if they could talk. He lead them back inside the castle, and into the library, where they met up with Cho. Together, the four of them made their way over to a secluded area where they could all talk.

“This prank war has gone on long enough,” Ernie said. “I say we call a truce,”

Harry snorted. “No way!”

Cho frowned. “Why not?”

Draco raised an eyebrow. “What’s this about?”

“This has been going on for far too long!” Ernie said. “We can barely learn anything in our classes without someone setting off a firework or releasing pixies!”

“And I thought Peeves was bad,” Cho complained. “I just want to be able to walk through the halls without the fear of someone dropping another water balloon on me,”

“Or get to class on time without the stairs constantly changing,”

Harry frowned. “They already do that?”

Draco laughed. “Actually, the Ravenclaws charmed them to go in opposite directions, and to change every 30 seconds or so.”

Cho giggled. “Probably our best prank yet,”

Ernie rolled his eyes. “Anyways, if we call off the pranks now, we can stop before any serious damage is done,”

“Too late for that,” Harry said. “I think we’ve sent Umbridge to the hospital wing about eight times now. Professor Flitwick at least three!”

“Which is why I want to call a truce!” Ernie insisted.

Draco thought for a moment. “So what? We just...stop?”

“Exactly,” Cho and Ernie said.

“But how?” Harry asked. “Everything is so hectic and chaotic, and it’s not like it’s just the fifth years, everyone’s been pulling pranks left and right,”

“What if we do a massive prank?” Cho blurted out.

Draco raised both his eyebrows. “Are you mad?”

“There’s no _way_ we could pull something like that off!” Ernie said.

“Wait, why not?” Harry asked. “I mean, think about it. A massive prank to end all pranks! We all band together as a team, no more targeting one another. Instead, we work together to pull off a schoolwide prank, and when it’s over, that’s it. Besides, think of the house unity? What better way to encourage inter house relationships than to plan a prank?”

Ernie sighed. “He’s got a point,”

“And the sorting hat _did_ say we need to work together now more than ever,” Cho said.

“But, even if we _did_ manage to do this, who's to say it even works? I mean surely someone would either tell or find out about the prank, right?” Draco insisted.

Harry smiled wickedly, causing a shiver to run down Draco’s spine. He could practically feel Harry’s magic bubbling over with excitement, and it was doing things to Draco he couldn’t quite explain. “Not if I have anything to say about it,”

\---

“Eagle two, come in eagle two!” Harry said from down the hall.

“Copy that,” Ron said in his current position. “Raven, do you copy?”

“Loud and clear!” Pansy said from her spot over by a window in the corridor overlooking the grounds. They were all communicating with each other through a new invention Fred and George had made. They were similar to what muggles had, known as walkie talkies, except they were a lot smaller, could fit in their ear, and were much more effective. “How’s your post looking, marshmallow?”

Ernie sighed as at his codename. He had gotten it because the others had described him as being soft and squishy. “Coast is clear,” he said, surveying the bottom of the staircases. “Nead and Freckles?”

Dean and Seamus giggled at their nicknames as they stood outside of Umbridge’s office. “All good hear!” Dean or Nead said.

“The pink toad just left her office,” Seamus or freckles answered. “Matilda?”

“Whiskers just left with the Grey Knight,” Hermione said as she stood outside of Dumbledore’s office, watching both him and McGonagall fade away down the hall.

Much of their conversations carried on like this, everyone double and triple checking their positions, only addressing one another by their code names as they worked to set this prank in place. This was their one shot at this, and they needed to make it count. It was a late Saturday night, and dinner had just ended, the professors all meeting up in the lounge to have a meeting, no doubt called by Umbridge. Now was the time to set up their prank while they were all distracted.

“The traps are set!” Milli said.

“Good work, cat lady,” Neville said. “I’ve got the water balloons all ready to go.

“Alright prince charming, have moona meet Beauty and Beast down by the Great Hall,” Blaise said, indicating to both Theo and Daphne.

The two stood on opposite sides of each other, blushing at their nicknames. The two definitely had a thing for each other, but both weren’t quite ready to say anything yet. This was their friends way of not—so—subtly giving them the hint to make a move already.

Luna made her way down to the two Slytherins smiling dreamily at them. “You’ll come around eventually,” she said, as she skipped past them, moving into her new spot.

“Okay, everything should be in place,” Draco said. “Ready Eagle one?”

Harry smiled wickedly even though no one else could see him. “Yup, we’re just waiting for Midnight’s signal.”

Cho stood next to the professors longue, watching in on their meeting. “Ready to initiate mission take over when you are,”

Harry nodded, even though once again no one could see him. “Okay, on my mark...one...two...three!”

Cho opened up the door leading into the room with all the professors in it, throwing in a stink bomb, casting _nox_ on the room, before slamming the door shut and running down the hall. She had to be quick, running around a corner and into the Weasley Twins. “Go!” she said, signalling for them to move on to the next phase of the plan.

The twins nodded. “Peeves!” they called. The poltergeist wasn’t too far away, as he’d been chasing a bunch of first year Hufflepuffs. He floated down from the ceiling to “stand” in front of the twins. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

The twins smiled at each other before turning to Peeves. “We need your help!”

Meanwhile, the professors were trying to make their way out of the dark and foggy classroom, coughing and gagging as they made their way blindly out into the hallway. “What in Merlin’s name!” Snape began, before being hit with a ball of slime.

“What—” another professor began, but soon they were being attacked by the two twins, hurling slime balls at them from an unknown location. At least, they didn’t know it was the twins, what with Peeves distracting them by coming down the hall and throwing down sparklers, another invention of the twins. They were little fireworks that explode when threw down on the ground, making little _pop pop pop_ noises.

The professors turned to go in the other direction, towards the Great Hall, but Luna was ready for them, releasing the water balloons from above by pulling on a rope that was connected to Neville up on the second level. The water balloons feel to the ground, splashing the teachers in the process. Neville then tugged on the rope again, causing feathers, along with other various objects to float down, sticking to their goop covered bodies.

Next, Theo and Daphne stepped in, casting various spells to disorient the staff members, before running off to find Draco and Blaise. Once they reached them, Draco went into action, running off to find Harry for the finishing act while Blaise ran off to find Ron, Pansy, and Ginny for the next phase. This involved releasing a few more animals with a little help from Hagrid, who’d helped them smuggle them into the castle. Within minutes, the Great Hall was infested with rats, fairies and pixies, crups, cats, anything small with arms and legs, or that could fly, and was relatively harmless, was running around, causing shrieks to emit from Umbridge while the others mildly panicked while trying to not fall down flat on their backs from the mess they were standing in.

Draco found Harry, and together they gathered up the rest of the students who had started to form around the commotion to see what was happening. They told them to start casting random spells, anything they could think of, and to start shouting them out. As the Gryffindor and Slytherin ran through the crowd, students began casting levitation spells, jelly leg jinxes, carrot wand charms and so on. The hallways were full of pranks and mischief, Peeves and the Twins looked as if they were in prank heaven as Draco and Harry continued to run through the halls and encourage the pranking. Soon the halls were filled with laughter and screams of delight—all but the ones coming from Umbridge—and the students were genuinely having a good time. It was a mad free for all, but it was stress relieving and fun and for a moment, there was no war, no Voldemort, no death eaters. It was just a bunch of teenagers stuck inside of a massive castle on a Saturday night having the time of their lives.

Until of course Umbridge _snapped_.

“ENOUGH!” the shout rang out so loud, a few windows and chandeliers cracked. She’d clearly casted a _soronous_ as her voice boomed inside and around the castle at an alarming volume. “Everyone into the Great Hall _NOW_.”

\---

The staff members had all just about had enough as they ushered all the students into the Great Hall for a mandatory school meeting. Not even the Prefects or Head Boy and Girl were safe as all trust had been completely lost.

Some students and professors were covered in slime, some in various other substances. Others...well, they may need to go see Madam Pomfrey before the day was over. Some were unrecognizable they were so covered in goop, and others were covered in scratches and bruises as if a war had just been going on out in the wallway.

As the students settled down in their seats, Dumbledore stood up to address the students. “Never, in all my years, have I seen such a chaotic group of students,” he said, causing some to drop their heads down in shame. “All the reckless behavior, disregard for others safety, blatant disobeying of school rules,” he continued on. “I am both widely shocked and deeply confused. I do not know what has overcome all of you these past couple of weeks, but clearly it is time for a change,”

The hall was silent as the students all looked around at each other. The professors all looked tired and disheveled. They too, had been through a lot and were tired of the students shenanigans, probably none more so than Umbridge.

Dumbledore gave a big sigh. “1500 points,” he said, causing the students to gasp. If he took those points away, they’d all lose whatever chance they have of winning the house cup. Some houses would even be dropped down to a negative number,

“1500 points...will be _awarded_ to each house, for showing school bonding and house unity,”

Everyone let out noises of disbelief. Did they hear him right? Was he seriously _giving_ them points? McGonagall looked downright sick, Snape was up in an instant, hassling the old man, and Umbridge was in an absolute outrage.

However, Dumbledore stood quietly and patiently, waiting for the commotion to dial down. When he raised his hands up in the air, all side conversations came to a halt, and he continued on with his speech. “You have all come together to complete a task one might consider impossible,” he continued on. “While your method of approach is most certainly questionable, I have to say that I am no less impressed by the sheer effort and teamwork it must have taken to plan this whole elaborate thing,”

The students all looked around and nodded in agreement. “To the Gryffindors, I add on 500 points for showing cleverness and a want to bond with others. To Ravenclaws, I add on 500 points for letting go of stress and being carefree, to bond with friends and to make new memories. To the Hufflepuffs, I add 500 points for taking a risk and going against what is expected of you. And to my Slytherins, I add on additional 1,000 points for finally breaking out of your shell and reminding us all that you are just as much a part of this school and community as everyone else.” Dumbledore concluded.

The students began to cheer, turning to hug one another as the professors continued to gwak and question Dumbledore to no end. But the deed had already been done. The points were awarded and he insisted that none of the kids be punished for their actions. He was a strange old man, Harry had to admit, but he must know what he’s doing at least some of the time right?

Eventually, everyone began to settle down, people leaving to go wash up, return to their houses, or make that long trip over to the hospital wing. Others stuck around to help clean up the massive mess, including Hagrid, who could be heard running around, chasing his beloved magical creatures.

 

Harry found his ever growing group of friends and smiled at them. “Some day, huh?”

“At least it’s finally over!” Ernie said with a bright smile.

“I don’t know, I’ll kind of miss the pranking,” Ron said with a shrug.

“I can do without the mess,” Hannah said, trying to get slime out of her hair.

“I’m right there with you!” Pansy said, doing the same.

Hermione shook her head. “This has been a ridiculous past couple of months in general.”

“You could say that again,” Harry said.

“Totally worth it though,” Draco said, walking over and pressing a kiss to Harry’s cheek.

It send a shock up Harry’s spine, and he smiled widely at his boyfriend. “You are amazing, you know that?”

“Of course I do, I’m a Malfoy,” Draco said, smirking.

Harry rolled his eyes. “You’re such a drama queen,”

“You like me,” Draco said, sticking his tongue out at the Gryffindor.

Harry laughed, tugging the Slytherin closer. “You know...you’re right,” he said, leaning in for a kiss. “I do like you, very much,”

Draco laughed, pulling Harry in for another kiss.

The others all shared a look before rolling their eyes.

“What are we going to do with them?” Seamus asked.

“Keep them I guess,” Blaise said with a shrug..

“Are they always like this?” Ernie asked, amusement clear in his eyes.

“They can’t be too bad,” Hannah tried to reassure him.

The others laughed, having finally found their missing Hufflepuffs. “You’ll get used to it,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! That's it for now! I will see you....when the next chapter is done :P


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _insert summary description here_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!!!!!!!
> 
> I. Am. _So sorry!!_ I...don't even have anything to say other than that :)
> 
> This is a short chapter and I apologize, but next chapter is done so, yay!!
> 
> I've miss you guys *hugs*

About a week or so later when everything calmed down again, DA lessons started up again. They’d lost a few members over the course of everything considered, but that didn’t even begin to amount to the number of new members they were beginning to receive. Of course the majority of the group had been Gryffindors with a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs scattered through, but with everyone being on friendly terms again, Dumbledore’s army had grown almost double in size. For one, Ravenclaws were now more prominent within the group, and it was great to see. The Hufflepuffs had grown too, no longer the smallest in the bunch. In fact, the only house that had outgrown the Gryffindors was the Slytherins.

Harry and Hermione had been trying to sort through everyone during one of their lessons, making sure everyone had a partner, when the door to the Room to Requirement opened, and Draco walked in. Harry had smiled widely upon seeing the blond, but once he realized he wasn’t alone, was even more ecstatic.

“Hope you don’t mind that I brought some friends along,” Draco said, as the Slytherins followed in behind him.

Hermione beamed. “This is great! I think our numbers are even now,”

Harry placed a kiss on Draco’s cheek. “You’re amazing,”

Draco blushed. “It’s nothing, really,” but he loved it when Harry said things like that. Loved all his random kisses and displays of affection. Of course he would never admit it, but some days he still couldn’t believe they were actually together. Some days he’d wake up, fearing it was all a dream, but then he’d see the way Harry lights up whenever their eyes meet, and it makes Draco melt.

He was so in love with him, it was hard to contain at times.

Once everyone was was partnered up, Harry, Hermione and Draco all walked around the room surveying everyone. Of course those who had been in the DA from the start were growing immensely, but the newcomers were just a little behind. To remedy this, Harry and Hermione split the groups up, the more experienced members staying with Harry and the majority of the the others going over with Hermione. Ron was there too, and so he took another part of the group with Draco to go over some basic defense, shielding, stunning, and disarming spells.

In the end, everything worked out well, and the students were excited to be learning outside of the classroom. Umbridge had really doubled down on her lessons, being on edge and constantly alert, so having the DA to fall back on was helpful and something to look forward too.

The next DA meeting involved a lot more group work, casting spells on one another, and learning how to dodge and block different spells and hexes. They were all smart and hardworking, and it was starting to show, not only in DA, but other classes as well. Soon, Hermione was teaching students how to perform _petrificus totalus_ and Ron was suggesting Harry teach them all how to cast a patronus.

Murmurs began to spread around the room in agreement, until everyone was standing around Harry as he casted his own patronus. Everyone was in awe as they watched the luminescent stag dash around the room before disappearing. Since this was a bit of a more difficult spell, he split everyone up into smaller groups to try and get the spell down. Outside of the DA, he had been trying to teach Ron and Hermione how to cast one, and so they each took a group, as well as Draco, to try and teach the group. Only a few were capable of actually producing something, but by the time three or four more DA lessons came and went nearly everyone was able to produce a wisp of something out of their wand.

Lessons continued on like this, groups being split up to work on different areas of expertise, Harry mainly focusing on the defense part of DA, such as shielding charms and ways to disarm your opponent, while Hermione tended to focus more on the execution; how to hold and flick your wand, how to clear your mind, to focus on the spell and not so much the target of the spell or hex. Ron liked to incorporate fun and jokes into his teaching methods, so he was mostly all about counter jinxes as well as stunning spells and handy first aid spells for when a hex or spell goes haywire.

Even Draco had his own group of students he’d work with, and he always bragged to Harry about how much better his group was. “Hannah casted a perfect patronus the other day,” he said as the two now stood in the empty room, having once again changed from the DA practice room into their private study.

Harry rolled his eyes. “So did Susan and Terry, so what?”

“What do you mean _so what_? Do you know how hard that spell is? _I_ still can’t cast a full one!”

Harry patted Draco’s shoulder. “You’ll get there,”

“So not the point. And anyways, _my_ group was able to successfully cast the banishing charm,”

“So?”

“ _Nonverbally_ ”

Harry gaped at Draco. “No way!”

Draco wore a smug smirk. “Yup. Took forever, but they managed it.”

“But...but _I_ can’t even do that yet!”

Draco patted Harry’s back. “You’ll get there,”

“Prat,” Harry grumbled.

“You like me,”

“I can’t stand you,”

“Not true,” Draco said, placing a kiss on Harry’s cheek. Harry blushed, but still continued to pout. “Oh, come on, stop being so sour.”

“How about you stop teaching _my_ students information that _I_ don’t even know yet!”

Draco laughed. “Is everything a competition with you?”

“Yes, and I’d appreciate it if you’d play by the rules,”

Draco continued to laugh, shaking his head. “Okay, what if _I_ start teaching you nonverbal spells?”

“Do we even have time for that?” Harry asked, looking skeptical. “I mean with the DA, Occlumency lessons, O.W.L.S and whatever else weird stuff happens around the castle, would I even have time to learn? I mean it’s not even in our curriculum until next year,”

Draco seemed to think for a moment. “Point, but it is very useful,”

Harry frowned up at Draco. “How?”

Draco didn’t answer, and before Harry could question him any further, Harry’s wand flew out of his hand and into Draco’s, before he was bound in a chair. “I’d call that pretty useful,” Draco said with his signature smirk as he twirled Harry’s wand around his fingers.

Harry groaned. “Okay,” he said, trying to stand up to no avail. “Point taken.”

Draco walked over to Harry, squinting down at him before aiming Harry’s own wand at him. “Hmm, what shall I do?”

“Let me go,” Harry deadpanned.

Draco snorted. “Not a chance Potter,”

Harry sighed, trying to hide his smile as he played along. “What do you want from me, Malfoy?”

Draco thought, never removing the wands aim from Harry. “Hmm, such a simple question but with no simply answer,”

Harry rolled his eyes. “You’re so dramatic. What. Do. You. Want?”

Draco huffed, casting a tickling charm without even batting an eye. Harry erupted into a fit of giggles. “Okay! Okay! I take it back! I’m _sorry!_ ” he wailed.

Draco lowered Harry’s wand, ending the spell as he did so. Harry sighed with relief. “Next time I won’t go so easy on you,”

Harry found a smirk of his own. “Is that a threat?”

Draco’s smirk turned mischievous. “Oh, that’s a promise,”

“Oh, I’m so terrified,”

Draco walked closer to Harry. “You should be,”

Harry looked up into icy grey eyes, still unable to move out of the chair. “You wouldn’t hurt me,”

“Scared, Potter?”

“You wish,”

The two stared at each other for a long time, sizing each other up. And then, Draco broke, erupting into a fit of laughter, ending Harry’s binding spell as he did so. “Merlin, we are a mess!”

Harry laughed too, standing up out of his chair. “You’re insane.”

“I know,” Draco said, pulling Harry in for a kiss.

Harry smiled into it, wrapping Draco up in his arms. “You’re going to be the death of me, I swear,” Harry said, pulling away.

“Obviously. I can’t let Voldemort have all of the fun,”

Harry laughed at that, kissing Draco again. “You’re so over the top,”

“I’m serious,” Draco said, shaking his head. “Why do you think I’m dating you? Hello, future death eater here! I’m clearly a spy,”

Harry knew that he shouldn’t have found that funny considering there was a possibility, no matter how slim, of such a thing possibly happening. But this was Draco, and he trusted him, and he’s _so_ in love with him, that he couldn’t help but to laugh as he pulled Draco in for another kiss.

Draco laughed too, swatting at Harry’s shoulder, but eventually giving in to the kiss, sighing contently as he ran a hand through Harry’s hair. “You’re too good for me,” Draco whispered as he pulled away.

Harry smiled, brushing Draco’s cheek with his thumb. “Not true.”

Draco shook his head. “Yes, true. You deserve better.”

“Can’t be true. And I don’t want better. I want _you_ ”

Draco smiled, trying to blink back the tears. _When had he gotten so emotional?_ “I thought you hated me?” Draco teased back to one of their earlier conversations.

Harry smiled softly up at the blond. “I could never hate you. Never have.”

“I haven’t always been the nicest,”

“Neither have I, but look at us now,” Harry said, giving Draco a light kiss to emphasise the point. “We’re here now, and we haven’t killed each other yet,”

Draco laughed, shaking his head. “Key word being _yet_ ”

Harry’s smile widened. “See? That’s gotta count for something,”

Draco rolled his eyes. “I can’t get rid of you,”

“Why?” Harry teased. “Because Voldemort isn’t ready yet?”

“No,” Draco said blushing. “Because, now that I have you, I can’t let you go.”

Harry sobered at that. “Aww, dragon,”

Draco blushed even harder at that. “Shut up!”

Harry chuckled lightly, pulling Draco in for another kiss. “My dragon,” he whispered as he pulled away.

Draco’s blush only deepened, but he was smiling ever so faintly. “I’d better be,” he grumbled.

Harry laughed, pulling Draco in for a hug. The two stood like that for a long time, not saying anything, just holding each other tight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some Drarry fluff, hope it makes up for my absence. Next chapter tomorrow, I promise!!


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have one? I swear I'm going to edit these!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so where I'm at it's currently past 1am soooo technically I'm a couple hours late but hey! I've got a chapter for you, don't I? *sweats nervously* okay, I'm sorry! next time I'll post on time.

“Come on Harry, come on,” Draco chanted over and over as he watched the Gryffindor zoom around the quidditch pitch. It was the last game of the season, Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff, usually a pretty easy going game, but for whatever reason was turning out to be quite difficult.

“They sure aren’t going easy on them,” Hermione said as Hufflepuff scored another point.

“They are pretty fierce, huh?” Pansy commented.

“This is insane!” Seamus yelled. “How is this even possible?”

“Well, they _did_ get a new seeker this year,” Neville reminded him.

“Okay, but still, they shouldn’t be able to play— are you kidding me? That was a foul!”

Draco laughed, but he wasn’t really paying attention. He could clearly see the Snitch from across the pitch, and he was mentally begging Harry to turn around and get it. He was on the other side of the pitch, talking to Katie and Ron, and Draco wanted to rip his hair out.

“Harry, you idiot!” he yelled, along with Blaise, who was shouting, “Are you bloody kidding me? _Turn around_ , you oblivious—!”

Maybe it was a figment of his imagination, or maybe they had just been that loud, but at that moment, Harry’s head popped up, and he made direct eye contact with Draco. He was only dazed for a few seconds however, before he shook his head and mouthed “catch the snitch!”

Harry’s eyes squinted a bit, before opening wide, his head whipping around frantically, until he found the golden ball. Both Seamus and Draco sighed, giving each other a look that read “he’s an idiot,” but Draco smiled. Harry was his idiot, and he loved him.

In no time, Harry caught the snitch, and the stands were going wild. Everyone was out of their seats, especially the Gryffindors, cheering like mad as this meant that the Gryffindors had now won the quidditch cup for their house. Harry and the others flew around the pitch in victory, before circling back to the middle of the ring where Madam Hooch handed Harry the quidditch cup.

The applause and screams grew even louder, and Draco smiled broadly. His eyes locked with Harry’s again, as the seeker flew over to his friends, quidditch cup in hand. Ron followed shortly behind them. When they reached their side of the stands, their house was going mad, and their friends sat in the front row with huge smiles on their faces.

“Brilliant!” Seamus shouted.

“Told you, you could do it,” Hermione said, kissing Ron’ cheek, causing a chorus of catcalls. Ron blushed madly, but Hermione only rolled her eyes.

Harry laughed, before turning to Draco, raising an eyebrow. “Well?”

Draco mimicked him. “What?”

Harry smirked. “Where’s my victory kiss?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Do you deserve one?”

Harry waved the quidditch cup in his face.

Draco huffed, but he was smiling nonetheless. “I don’t know, I think I need something a little bit more than that,”

Harry pouted. “Please?”

Draco looked around the stands to see mostly everyone staring at them. It was kind of a thing now, everyone waiting for the two opposing houses to kiss after a game. Draco found it kind of weird, but Harry didn’t care. He liked kissing Draco in front of everyone. He liked knowing that Draco was his and only his. It made his stomach fill with butterflies and he couldn’t stop smiling at the thought.

“Please?” Harry whined again.

Draco leaned over the rail, leaning in, and just when their lips were about to meet, he leaned down and kissed the cup instead. Harry’s mouth dropped open as the others laughed. Harry began to blush madly. “Draco!”

“What?” Draco asked, pulling back. “I’ve never won one!”

“You’re supposed to kiss me!”

Draco laughed, grabbing Harry’s face with both hands. “Oh, come here, you baby,” he said, leaning in and giving Harry a fierce kiss on the lips. The crowd cheered even louder as Harry moaned into the kiss, trying his best to pull the blond closer.

Draco laughed, pulling away. “We can finish this later,”

Harry groaned in protest, but before he could say anything, Ron was grabbing his arm and leading him back down to the quidditch pitch. Once they landed, the Gryffindors all gathered around and picked Harry up, chanting over and over again as he was carried away, a bright smile on his face.

Draco sighed, watching them go, as the stands began to fill out. Pansy placed a hand on his shoulder. “You okay, there?” she asked, with a knowing look in her eyes.

Draco smiled lopsidedly. “Never better,”

\---

Draco followed along with the other Gryffindors up to their common room where they were throwing a party. The room had been altered a bit, furniture pushed aside to make room for everyone. It was mostly Gryffindors, but there were a few exceptions, such as himself and Luna, who stood next to Ginny as they drank some punch. Hermione was soon dragged off by Lavender and Parvati to do who knows what, by the frightened look on her face. Dean and Seamus could be spotted across the room, clearly trying not to make their relationship seem too obvious. Neville was with Ginny and Luna as usual, and Harry was nowhere to be found.

Draco sighed, walking further into the room. He spotted the twins talking with Alicia, Katie, Angelica, and Lee Jordan. He found Blaise had been dragged here as well, but he had found his way over to Neville and the girls. Even Ernie was here, talking with another Gryffindor over by the fireplace.

Draco felt...out of place. It wasn’t like he wasn’t welcome, or that he was uncomfortable with being with the Gryffindors. It was just that without Harry, it felt...weird. Like, he somehow needed permission to be there or something. Everyone was laughing and smiling, having a good time, and he knew that he should have been too, but it was hard. Was he supposed to go over to Blaise? Was he supposed to go drink punch and talk about sports? If Harry was here, he wouldn’t have to worry. He didn’t want to follow the Gryffindor around or anything like that. He didn’t _need_ Harry to have a good time, but he always made the experience that much more fun.

Suddenly there was a tap on his shoulder, and he turned around to see Ron. “Hey, if you’re looking for Harry, he left a while ago,” Ron said. He was blushing madly, his face covered in lipstick prints.

Draco smiled, trying to hold in his laughter. “Um, thanks, Weasley,” Draco said, walking away before the laughter could escape. He exited out of the portrait hole, stopping in the hallway once he realized he had no idea where to go. He stopped to think, the obvious places coming to him first. He figured he’d start with the Room of Requirement, but surprisingly enough, he wasn’t there. Draco’s next hunch was the empty classroom on the fourth floor, but he wasn’t there either. He checked the library just to be sure, but he wasn’t there either. He passed by Dean and Seamus in the hallway, clearly looking for some privacy. Draco blushed, asking them if Harry might have been in the dorm, but they said he wasn’t.

Draco thought about giving up and just going back down to the dungeons when an idea popped into his head. He quickly turned around, running down the stairs and out the main entrance of the castle. He made his way across the grounds, past the lake with the Giant squid, until finally he came across a familiar tree, surrounded by pretty blue flowers. Underneath sat a raven haired boy, eyes closed, with his head leant back against the base of the tree.

Draco smiled, quietly walking over and sitting down next to him.

Harry smiled softly, his eyes remaining closed. “I was hoping you’d find me,”

Draco laughed. “Took a bit of work, but here I am,”

Harry cracked open an eye, his smile widening. “Hi,”

“Hey,” he said back, leaning over to kiss Harry’s cheek.

Harry closed his eyes again. “I was going to wait for you at the party, but things starting getting a bit hectic, so I snuck out when I could,”

“Understandable,” Draco said, picking one of the flowers.

Harry sighed. “It’s peaceful out here,”

“Hmm,” Draco acknowledged, continuing to pick flowers.

Harry opened his eyes again. “What are you doing?”

Draco smiled softly. “These are Hydrangeas,” he said, continuing to pick them, a pile starting to grow in his lap. “They’re my favorite,”

Harry’s smile grew at that. “I didn’t know that,”

Draco shrugged. “It’s nothing,”

Harry reached down, picking a flower of his own, examining it, before smelling it. His smile somehow widened. “It’s really pretty,”

Draco began to blush. “I used to love playing in my mother’s garden when I was a kid. I’d pick flowers for her and bring them to her. She’d but them in a vase, and they’d sit in the sitting room or on the dining table. They always brought a smile to her face,”

Harry’s smile softened. “That’s sweet,”

Draco’s blush only grew as he began to play with the flowers in his lap, picking off the petals. Harry picked up another one, this one a bright blue and slightly larger than the others. He smiled, admiring it for a moment, before leaning over and placing the flower in Draco’s hair.

Draco’s blush deepened as it began to spread over his face and down his neck, to the tips of his ears. “Harry, what—”

“They remind me of your eyes.” he said, fixing the flower in Draco’s hair so that it wouldn’t fall out. “They’re pretty. Grey with just a hint of this light blue color. But they’re mesmerizing, and I get lost in them every time. They could light up a whole room, and I fall for them every time,” he said, slowly moving his hands away when he was certain the flower would stay in place.

Draco turned his head to stare at Harry, a small smile on his face, his eyes shining bright. Harry smiled, leaning in closer to the blond. “Just like that,” he whispered as he softly pressed his lips against Draco’s.

Draco sighed, wrapping his arms around Harry and pulling him closer. He felt so overwhelmed with emotions, he didn’t know what to do. He felt like he was going to burst with it. Harry saying things like that to him was driving him crazy. He gently pulled away, misty grey eyes peering into bright green ones. Draco couldn’t breath.

“Harry,” he whispered, closing his eyes from the intensity of it all.

Harry nuzzled his nose against Draco’s, their foreheads touching. “Hmm?”

Draco took a deep breath, opening his eyes again. “Harry, I...”

“Yes?” Harry said, his own eyes filling with unspoken emotion.

Draco’s heart seemed to stop before picking up at twice the speed. “I think… Harry I lo—”

“Oh there you guys are!” Ron shouted, walking over to them.

And just like that, the moment was gone. Draco pulled away, blushing madly. Ron reached them, by the time they separated, an exasperated Hermione following behind him. “Ron!” she hissed. “They were having a moment!”

“It’s fine,” Harry muttered, as he also began to blush.

“Wasn’t important,” Draco said, shaking his head.

Harry frowned, but he tried to push it away. _Maybe he wasn’t going to say what he thought he had been._

Hermione sighed, pinching her nose. Ron looked confused.

Draco turned back to Harry, noticing the hurt look on his face. Draco smiled faintly, kissing his cheek. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, squeezing harry’s hand.

Harry smiled, leaning in for a real kiss. “Tell me later?”

Draco smiled against his lips. “Promise,”

\---

With the end of the Quidditch season started the beginning of another. Now was the time for Christmas shopping and snuggling up by the fire. The students fell into their studies, wanting to make sure they had enough free time on the weekends for gift shopping and impromptu snowball fights in the courtyard. Draco, like many other Slytherin students, often found himself snuggled up close to the fireplace in their common room, wrapped in several layers of blankets as he gossiped with Pansy and worked on his Charms homework with Blaise.

Harry, unlike Draco, often found himself in the middle of a heated snowball war. The Gryffindors had come up with this bright idea of involving flight into their snowball games, and therefore were split into two teams, those who were on the ground, and those up in the sky. It was quite fun watching all the little first years run about on the snow covered ground as the Weasley twins pelted them with snowballs from high up above. Ron was also a usual target for the twins and so would often build a wall of snow around him in order to avoid their wrath. Harry enjoyed using his invisibility cloak to his advantage, pelting unsuspecting students whenever they would walk past him.

Hermione would sit in the library on one of those window seats so she could stare out and watch the snow as she studied. That, and she liked to keep an eye out on her boys incase they ever got themselves into any serious trouble. Draco would even come and join her some days, especially when the snowball games would carry on late into the night, and he’d bring cups of hot cocoa for them to sip on as well.

Tonight was one of those particular nights.

Hermione sighed, taking a sip of her hot drink. “What did you put in it this time?” she asked. This was a game they liked to play, as Draco liked to add and change things to his drinks. It was kind of like potions, but with food.

Draco took a sip of his own, smiling. “Some ginger and a bit of cinnamon.”

Hermione smiled, taking another sip. “It’s really good,”

“I try my best,”

The two laughed, going back over their Arithmancy notes, occasionally glancing outside at the rambunctious Gryffindors. Draco looked up just as Harry was hit in the face with a snowball the size of a bludger, the twins laughing as they high fived each other.

Draco rolled his eyes. “They are nuts,”

Hermione rolled her own eyes, looking up as Ron was being pelted nonstop by a group of third years who had torn down his fort and were showing no signs of stopping. “They are going to freeze to death out there, Warming Charms can only do so much,”

Draco sighed, turning back to his pile of notes, taking a long drink from his mug. “I’m sure Madam Pomfrey will take good care of them,”

Hermione laughed. “You’re horrible.”

“Slytherin, remember?”

Hermione shook her head, jotting down a couple of notes before closing her textbook. “Done!” she cheered as she put her schoolwork away. “Now I have some extra time to go back over my History essay.”

Draco shook his head, but he was smiling as he put his own notes away. “You work too hard,”

Hermione shrugged, rereading her essay as she sipped on her hot chocolate. “Whatever gets the job done,”

“You do sleep at night, right?”

Hermione glanced up at Draco, “I could be asking you the same thing,” she said with a glint in her eyes before returning to her paper.

Draco blushed madly at that. “What are you implying, Ms. Granger?”

Hermione gave him “the look” before continuing on with her editing. Draco wasn’t dumb. He knew she was referring to the fact that Harry often liked to sneak down to the dungeons and hang out with Draco. It had started off simple enough, one night Harry had woken up from a nightmare, one unlike any other as this one had been about the blond himself. Unable to go back to sleep, he had snuck down to the Slytherin quarters, muttered the password, and entered inside. He’d been wearing his invisibility cloak of course, but upon seeing Draco passed out on one of the couches, his potions notes spread out all over the coffee table, some of which had fallen onto the floor, Harry figured he was in the clear. He’d straightened up the mess, summoned some blankets to wrap around Draco, and kissed his forehead before heading towards the exit.

“You’re not going to stay?” Draco had called out.

Harry turned around to see sleepy grey eyes blinking at him. Draco looked absolutely adorable, the way his hair was all ruffled up, his eyes barely staying open and blinking every few seconds, with marks pressed into the side of his face from the way he’d been sleeping on the arm of the couch. Harry smiled warmly at the Slytherin, turning around to lay down on the couch with him.

Draco sighed, loving the additional warmth Harry brought about. “Bad dream?” he asked sleepily once they were all cuddled up together.

Harry nodded, yawning as he nuzzled his head into the crook of Draco’s neck. “‘Bout you. Had to make sure you okay,” he mumbled, already beginning to fall asleep.

“Hmm, I’m okay,” Draco replied, kissing Harry’s forehead. “Sleepy,” he added after a yawn of his own.

“Sleep,” Harry said, placing a kiss on Draco’s neck since that was the only part of him he could reach.

Draco nodded, nuzzling his head against Harry’s before promptly falling asleep. They fell asleep just like that, and in the morning, no one said a word to them, already used to their weird antics. The two had woken up and went down to breakfast as usual, going their separate ways to sit at their respective tables.

Ever since then, Harry has been sneaking out to be with Draco. It doesn’t happen every night, and sometimes Draco’s already asleep in his dorm, so Harry will go up and make sure he’s okay and then slip out again. Draco didn’t mind, and neither did his roommates. He thought it was kind of sweet how the Gryffindor liked to look after him. Of course he’d pester him about how he doesn’t need to be looked after like a child, but he knew why Harry was concerned and didn’t push it.

Draco rolled his eyes, but he was blushing madly. “We still aren’t doing anything!” he said, and then paused. “Well...certainly not _that_ ”

“I didn’t ask for details,” she replied.

Draco huffed, finishing off his beverage as he looked over to see Harry, who was with Katie and Angelica, one of the girls ruffling his hair as the other was wiping snow off him, both gripping his shoulder laughing as well. Draco felt a sudden spike of jealous within him as he watch Harry standing in between the girls. He said something, making the two laugh even harder. Draco frowned. He knew he had nothing to worry about and that he was being completely irrational. But part of him couldn’t help it. Hermione looked up, about to say something, but frowned upon the look on Draco’s face. She turned her head to look out the window as well. The Gryffindors had apparently finished their game, and were heading back up to the castle, Harry in between Katie and Angelica as Alicia ran up from behind to catch up to them. Harry leaned over, probably telling her whatever he had told the other two girls, as she immediately fell into a fit of laughter, swatting the top of Harry’s head.

Hermione looked back at Draco. “What’s with the death glare?”

“Huh?” Draco asked, snapping his attention back to Hermione. “What? I wasn’t doing anything,”

Hermione huffed. “If looks could kill…”

Draco blushed even harder, but he couldn’t deny the feeling of wanting to lock Harry away to keep all to himself. He shook the thought away, putting away his schoolwork. “That’s enough studying for one night,” he said, changing the subject.

“Agreed,” Hermione said, putting her own materials away. “Hey, did you figure out what you’re doing for the Holidays?”

Draco nodded, smiling. “I’m staying here. I got an owl the other day from Mother saying she is taking Father away on a much needed vacation, and that I am to stay here and focus on my studies,”

Hermione smiled too. “That’s great!”

“Yeah, and it gives me some extra time to do some shopping,” Draco said. “I have no idea what to get Harry for Christmas.”

“Have you asked him?”

Now Draco gave her _his_ look. “You know him. _I don’t want anything, I don’t need anything, all I want is to spend time with you_ ,” Draco imitated in his best Harry voice. “He’s so annoying,”

Hermione giggled. “You love him,”

“Merlin, but I do!”

Hermione couldn’t stop the flow of giggles. “Well there you go! Why don’t you tell him that?”

“Believe me, I’ve been trying too!” which he in fact had been ever since Ron ruined it the first time. Every time he tried to tell him, or found the courage to finally admit how he’s been feeling the past couple of weeks, something always happens. As cliche as it sounds, no matter how hard he’s tried, he just couldn’t tell him.

“Well, then find a gift that says it for you,” Hermione said, standing up. She reached out a hand and pulled Draco up with her. “Come on, let’s go meet the boys.”

Draco nodded, following Hermione out of the library and into the empty corridor. It was well past their curfew, but they were fifth years and no one was around. “Speaking of admitting feelings,” Draco hinted at, elbowing Hermione.

She began to blush. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,”

“Now you’re just as bad as the Weasel,” Draco laughed.

Hermione shook her head at the endearment that had once been an insult. “I’m… just not ready yet,”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Look, all I’m saying is if your waiting for him to make the first move, it may not ever happen. Don’t be afraid to make the first move,”

Hermione looked skeptical. “But I—”

“No butts!” Draco insisted. “If you can defeat a troll, help save Harry from Voldemort, and still find time to study and pass all of your classes, then you can surely ask out a guy,” Draco insisted.

Hermione smiled. “Thanks Draco.”

“Anytime. What’s a wingman for, right?”

Hermione laughed, punching his shoulder. “You’re awful.”

“Just fulfilling my ‘gay best friend’ duties,”

Hermione stopped walking, overcome with laughter. “You have got to stop hanging out with Parkinson!”

Just as the two rounded the corner, they ran into the group of Gryffindors coming in from the cold weather. All of them were covered in wet spots, the snow having began to melt, leaving their clothes heavy and a bit soggy.

Most of them waved as they continued their way around them and over to the Fat Lady as someone gave the password and she swung open, allowing everyone in. Ron and Harry stopped short upon seeing them there. “Mione!” Ron greeted with a bright smile.

Harry lit up upon seeing Draco, and the blond got those butterflies again.

“See you inside Harry,” Angelica said, patting his shoulder.

“Catch up with you later!” Alicia called over her shoulder as she followed behind her.

“Later Cap!” Katie teased as she trailed behind the other two.

Harry laughed at the nickname and suddenly Draco’s butterflies were replaced with venom as he glared after the Gryffindor girls.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Come on, Ron,” she urged as she left the two alone.

Harry nodded, turning to Draco and frowning. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t like them,” Draco bit out as he walked over to Harry.

“Angie, Katie and Alicia?” he asked with a frown.

“Exactly,” he said, arms crossed.

“What’s wrong with them? You’ve never had a problem with them before. Well...outside of Quidditch anyways,” Harry said with a laugh.

Draco wasn’t laughing however as he turned his glare on Harry. “I don’t like watching them swoon all over you!” he sneered.

Harry frowned, laughing nervously. “What? They do not!”

“They do, and it’s annoying!” Draco said. “They’re always touching you and calling you cute names!”

“What, like Cap?” Harry asked with a laugh. “That’s just them having fun. Alicia is certain I’m going to be Quidditch Captain next year, and so she’s started calling me that, and it’s just kind of stuck.”

Draco grumbled, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, come here,” Harry said, wrapping his arms around Draco, who remained as stiff as a board. “Such a grumpy dragon,”

Draco growled.

Harry sighed, kissing Draco’s forehead. “Oh, calm down. They’re my friends, we play around with each other, it doesn’t mean anything. I don’t get mad when Pansy gets all over you, or when Blaise and Theo play around with you,”

“That’s different,” Draco denied.

Harry rolled his eyes, pulling away to look into Draco’s eyes. “Draco, there’s nothing going on. Trust me,”

“But still!” Draco whined. “It’s bad enough I have to share you with everyone else! Sometimes I just want you all to myself.” he didn’t mean to sound so clingy or needy, but it was true. He was Harry Potter, and lots of people wanted his attention. Draco had been fighting himself about it for years, and now that he had him, he’d much rather keep him to himself. He felt as though he had earned it after denying his feelings towards the Gryffindor for so long.

Harry sighed, pulling Draco back into his embrace. “You don’t have to share me with anybody. I’m all yours, I always have been,”

“But you’re Harry Potter,” Draco mumbled into Harry’s neck.

“I know, but look around,” Harry said. “We’re alone now. We’re alone in the Room of Requirement. We hang out all the time, both by ourselves and with friends. You don’t have to share me, and it’s not like you have to fight for my attention,”

“I used to,” Draco murmured. “Why do you think I’d always insult you?”

Harry laughed, squeezing Draco tight. “I’ve always noticed you. I keep telling you, you’re not that hard to miss.”

Draco peered up at Harry. “Really?”

Harry laughed, leaning down to press his lips against Draco’s. “Really,” he said.

Draco sighed with relief, reaching up to deepen the kiss. He straightened up, no longer slouching in Harry’s arms, therefore fixing the height difference between them to where Harry was now wrapped around Draco’s arms. Harry smiled into the kiss, enjoying Draco’s warmth and overall presence. He pulled away slowly. “We should get to bed,” he said.

Draco smiled. “Together or separately?” Harry blushed madly. “Not like that, you pervert.”

“You implied it!”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Night, Potter,” he said, giving Harry one last kiss.

“Goodnight, my overly emotional Dragon,”

Draco glared at him as he began walking away. “Don’t make me breath fire,”

Harry rolled his eyes, heading towards the entrance to the common room. “Oh, I’m so scared,”

“You should be!” Draco called out.

“Well, I’m not!”

“Go to sleep!”

“You’re not the boss of me!”

“Get inside before I lock you out!” The Fat Lady shouted.

Harry grumbled as he muttered the password and entered inside as Draco’s laughter began to fade away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter will be when it's uploaded XD I'm turning into Liza Koshy


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaack :)
> 
> Sort of...
> 
> Maybe....
> 
> Just kidding! I've just been having so much fun writing _My Everything_ that I sort of just pushed this to the side, but here I am with another chapter :) Hope you enjoy

The weekend had finally arrived, and that meant another trip into Hogsmeade. Everyone was excited as this meant the students could begin Christmas shopping for all of their friends and family. The day started out a bit hectic, everyone loud and boisterous during breakfast. Many had woken up bright and early to get a headstart on the day. After breakfast, the students all lined up outside of the entrance hall, where once again Flich eyed everyone up and down, asking randomly absurd questions, before allowing the students to head out into the small town, accompanied by a few professors of course.

Harry’s own group of friends had decided to go off and do some shopping of their own, leaving the Slytherins to go and do as they pleased until they were all to meet back up again at the Three Broomsticks. Everyone pretty much hit up the usual shops; Honeydukes, Zonko’s, Scrivenshaft's, nothing out of the ordinary. Harry stayed close to Hermione, often asking for her advice on what to get Draco, while Ron and Neville seemed to be in a deep conversation over what to get Ginny. The more they walked around, the more hopeless Harry began to feel.

“I’m never going to find him anything,” Harry complained to Hermione as they made their way towards the Three Broomsticks.

“What are you talking about? You found that cool potions set, and you bought him some of those endless ink quills,” Hermione reassured him. “Much better than anything I could have come up with,” she said, holding up a bag she’d gotten from Zonko’s. “I’m sure Ron already has a million of these.”

Harry shrugged. “I guess. But, I don’t have anything...you know… _special_ to give him,”

“Well, what’s something special that you have in mind?”

“I don’t know, I’m not exactly good at this whole dating thing,” Harry said, starting to panic. “I mean do I get him a necklace or something? Do I buy him expensive clothes? Do I write him a love letter, I’m lost Hermione!”

“Woah, calm down,” Hermione said, trying to cover up her giggles. “It’s not _that_ big of a deal. I’m sure you’ll think of something. It’s probably just one of those things that you don’t know until you see it,”

Harry huffed. “Well, I better _see_ it soon.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “In the meantime, have you asked him what he wants?”

“Of course, and his reply was chocolate and this new potions book I’ve already got him.”

Hermione frowned. “That’s all?”

Harry coughed. “He may of um...asked for something else,” he said, starting to blush madly.

“Don’t tell me!” Hermione said, full on laughing now. “I did _not_ need to know that,”

Harry shook his head, trying to push _those_ thoughts away. “Anyways, I really do need to find him something. I’d feel bad if he got me something really nice and I didn’t have anything to give him back,”

“Oh come on, you know anything you get him, he’ll love.”

“I sure hope so,”

\---

After everyone regrouped at the Three Broomsticks, new groups of people were formed. Ron and Harry went out in search of the perfect gift for Hermione, while Hermione went with Draco, who was also on a mission to get Harry the perfect gift.

“...I mean quidditch will only get me so far,” he was saying as they made their way down the crowded street.

Hermione laughed. “You two are just alike. He’s just as worried as you are,”

“Well, he shouldn’t be, I mean I’m not _that_ hard to shop for.”

“And neither is he, but look at you two,”

Draco huffed. “Whatever, just help me find a gift!”

The shops were filled to the brim with students and it was hard to maneuver around at times, making it difficult to find anything. Draco and Hermione would find a couple of things here and there and then move on to the next place. Eventually, they ran back into the other Gryffindors and did another walk around.

“Harry!” Dean shouted, walking up next to him, linking their arms together. “Aren’t I glad to have found you!”

Harry looked skeptical. “What are you on about?”

Dean laughed, tugging on his arm. “Come on this way. You two Malfoy!” he said, looking over Harry’s shoulder. Draco shared a look with Pansy, but then shrugged, walking off with the two Gryffindors. They walked across the street where Seamus was waiting for them.

“We have an idea,” Seamus said with a bright smile.

“We’re going to trade partners,” Dean said with glee.

Harry and Draco shared a look. “What?”

Seamus and Dean shared a look, before rolling their eyes. “Come on you two!” Dean said, grabbing Harry and taking him one way as Seamus took Draco and led him the other.

“What—” Harry began

“I’m guessing you haven’t a clue on what to get Malfoy, right?”

“I—yeah, you’ve got me,”

Dean laughed. “Right, and I haven’t a clue on what to get Seamus, _so_ —”

“We’re going to go figure something out?” Harry said.

“Yep,”

“We’re in trouble, aren’t we?”

“That’s an understatement.”

\---

Seamus and Draco seemed pretty happy with their results, as they were grinning from ear to ear as they made their way back up to the castle. “...brilliant idea!” Seamus was saying.

“They come to me every once in a while.” Draco said smugly.

“Oi, there you guys are!” Ron called out in the hallway. “Where’s Dean and Harry?”

“Over here!” the two boys called out, coming up behind them. “We just got back,” Harry said.

“Ooh, what you get me?” Draco said, immediately trying to peek into Harry’s various bags.

Harry playfully scolded his boyfriend. “Nope! Not until Christmas,”

Draco pouted, and Harry kissed him. “None of that.” he said.

Draco sighed. “Fine!” he said, sticking his tongue out, before walking off with Seamus.

“So, you find anything for Draco?” Hermione asked, once they were gone.

“Yes, do tell,” Pansy said, having been spending most of the day with Hermione and Blaise, also looking for gifts for Draco.

Harry shook his head, but he wore a huge smile. “Nope! I don’t trust you two,” he said playfully.

Pansy frowned. “I won’t tell, I swear!”

Harry laughed. “Nope, not a chance.”

“In his defense, I don’t trust you either,” Blaise said.

Hermione giggled while Pansy shot daggers at him. “You hush!”

Dean chuckled. “You Slytherins are something else,”

“I’ll say,” Ron said.

“Oh you love us!” Pansy cooed.

“Not the word I would have gone with,”

\---

Later that night, the Gryffindor fifth years, plus Ginny, all sat in the common room wrapping presents. The fire was lit as usual, and the group had on their warmest set of pajamas they could find as they sat in a circle just talking and sharing what they got.

“I found this cool plant that I’m going to give to my Grandmother,” Neville was saying. “It’ll last year round and she won’t even have to water it or anything!”

“That’s great Neville!” Ginny said. “I bet she’ll love it,”

Neville blushed under the praise. “Thanks,”

“How do you wrap so neatly?” Ron asked Hermione as she neatly taped the corners of her wrapping paper down.

“Patience and accuracy,” she said, looking over at Ron’s bulky wrapping paper, his present covered in tape. She laughed. “And scissors go a long way.”

Ron frowned. “Sizzers?”

Harry held up a pair in his hand, opening and closing them. “These things.”

Ron squinted at the device. “Looks like you glued two knives together.”

Seamus laughed. “I love showing wizards muggle objects,”

Dean rolled his eyes. “That’s code word for he likes making us feel stupid,”

Neville shrugged. “I think it’s pretty cool,”

“It’s just ordinary stuff to us,” Hermione said. “We don’t think much about it,”

“Yeah, we use this kind of stuff everyday,” Harry said.

“Sometimes I forget you grew up with muggles,” Dean said. “You’re such a typical wizard, if that makes any sense.”

Harry shrugged, carefully wrapping Draco’s present. He wasn’t usually so neat about his wrapping, but somehow he felt like he needed to pay extra attention to detail. He was dating a Malfoy after all. “I don’t talk about it much,”

“I don’t blame you,” Ron said with a start. “They’re bloody awful!”

“Ron!” Hermione chided.

“What? They are!”

“Yes, but maybe Harry doesn’t want to talk about it,” she hissed.

“No, it’s okay,” he said, looking up at everyone. “Honestly, it’s okay.”

“It’s just…” Seamus trailed off. “Why _don’t_ you talk about your family?”

Harry shrugged again, not really knowing what else to do. “I guess I just don’t really see them that way. I kind of just...live with them,”

“They aren’t exactly the nicest muggles in the world,” Hermione supplied for them.

“I have to live with them over the summer, but I mostly hang out with the Weasley’s,” Harry said, smiling at Ron and then over at Ginny, who returned the gesture. “I really can’t complain. Plus, I get to be here for most of the year with all of you guys,”

The group smiled at Harry. “Yeah, Hogwarts isn’t so bad,” Neville said.

“Minus the trolls,” Hermione said.

“And the forbidden corridor on the third floor,” Ron said.

“And the werewolves,” Dean joked.

“Don’t forget the pink toad,” Harry supplied.

“Or her cats,” Ginny giggled.

“Okay, but the giant squid though?” Seamus asked, causing everyone to laugh.

“You are obsessed with that thing, aren’t you?” Dean asked giggling as he lightly punched his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“The Slytherins can see it sometimes from their common room, if you ever find your way down there,” Harry said.

Seamus’s eyes widened at the prospect, and the group of Gryffindors erupted into even more laughter.

\---

Harry often found himself unable to concentrate whenever he was around Draco. One minute they were sat in the Room of Requirement, finishing off the last of their homework for the week before break started, and the next he found himself sitting on the couch with said Slytherin, in the middle of a heated makeout session.

Harry moaned, pulling away from Draco. “Weren’t we studying?” he asked, his lips still touching Draco’s.

“This is better,” he said, pulling Harry back in.

For a while, Harry didn’t argue the point, just gave in to Draco. He was so intoxicating, it was hard to resist him at times. Eventually, air became a necessity, and he pulled away once again. “Just a few more days of studying, and then we’ll be free for the next two weeks.”

“Hmm, can’t wait that long,” Draco said, trying to pull Harry back in again.

Harry laughed, kissing Draco once, twice, and then pulling away again. “I’m serious,”

Draco groaned, pulling away from Harry completely. “You’re such a mood killer,”

Harry laughed, kissing his cheek. “I’m sorry, Dragon.”

Draco huffed. Harry patted his shoulder, before standing up and walking back over to their work table. “Come on, let’s finish this DADA essay and then we can do whatever you want,”

Draco perked up at that, turning around to peer at Harry over the couch. “Anything I want?”

Harry turned to look at Draco over his shoulder. He threw him what he hoped to be a bit of a flirty smirk. “Anything you want,” he said with a wink, before turning back around to finish his work.

Draco bit his lip, unable to hide his blush, as he hopped off the couch and practically ran over to Harry. “Write faster!” he urged as he took a seat, picking up his quill and beginning to write.

Harry laughed, shaking his head. “You are unbelievable,”

“Says the one being a major tease!”

Harry giggled. “You’re such a pervert.”

“And you’re a prat who refuses to get his boyfriend off!”

Harry laughed even harder at that. “Oh really? Because I’m pretty sure I did just that a couple of hours ago when you shoved me into that broom closet on the way to Potions class,”

“And we were almost late to said class because _you_ are a tease!”

Harry grinned evilly, dropping his quill onto the floor. “Oops,” he said, mischievously, dropping down to the floor on his hands and knees. Draco only rolled his eyes, continuing on with his homework.

That is until he felt a pair of hands reaching up to tug on his trousers.

Draco jumped slightly at the touch, but then relaxed into it. “I thought we were working,” Draco asked a bit breathlessly as he continued to write his paper.

Harry chuckled. “ _I’m_ done with my work,” he replied, tugging on Draco’s bottoms, urging the blond to lift his hips up as he pulled his boxers down with them. “This is just a bit of extra credit work,” he said, beginning to pump Draco’s growing erection.

Draco moaned, pausing in his writing, afraid to make a scribble on his page. “Harry!”

Harry smiled evilly. “Who's the tease now?” he asked, right before swallowing him down whole.

“Fuck!” Draco grasped, dropping the quill, splashing a bit of ink over his parchment, but he could have cared less in this moment, the feeling of Harry wrapped around him driving him insane.

Harry laughed, the vibrations sending a shiver up Draco’s spine. “Harry,” Draco moaned, as he leaned back to watch his boyfriend bob up and down on his cock, spreading his fingers through Harry’s unruly hair.

Harry smiled, up at Draco, pulling off to tease the head of Draco’s cock. “Take it back,” he said, still using his right hand to fist Draco’s member, as he used his free hand to grip Draco’s thigh.

“Take what back?” Draco asked, clearly out of it.

Harry pulled back completely, pausing his stroking hand, causing Draco to moan in protest. “Harry!”

“Take it back,”

“Take _what_ back?”

“What you said about me being a tease,”

“You’re being one right now!”

“Serves you right,” Harry said, leaning back onto his elbows and smiling up sweetly at his boyfriend.

Draco growled, “Potter, I swear to—”

“Now, is that any way to talk to the guy trying to get his boyfriend off?” Harry teased.

Draco bit his lip, whimpering a bit, his own hand reaching down to start stroking himself. “Please?” he asked.

“Oh, I think I like hearing you beg,” Harry said, licking his lips, causing a shiver to run down Draco’s spine and spread throughout his entire body. _God, he’s so hot_. “Ask me again,”

“Harry please?” Draco begged, “I want—I _need_ you.”

“What is it you need?” Harry asked, crawling back over to Draco, sitting back on his knees as he brushed Draco’s hand away and started stroking him again.

Draco gasped, arching up into his hand. “Gods! Harry, need you, always you!” he said, panting heavily. “Please, _please_ ,” he said, sliding his hands through Harry’s hair once more. “Take me, suck me,”

A shiver ran through Harry’s body as well as he leaned forward, licking along the shaft of Draco’s cock, before swallowing him whole again.

“Harry, yes!” Draco cried out, his hands tightening in Harry’s hair. He was already so close.

Harry could tell and only sped up his ministrations, using his tongue to tease the head, as he continued to fist whatever his mouth couldn’t reach.

“Harry, I’m gonna come!” Draco tried to warn, tugging on Harry’s hair again.

Harry hummed, hallowing his cheeks and sucking, sending Draco straight over the edge, shouting Harry’s name as he began to fill his mouth.

Harry sighed, taking most of it, as he slowly popped off of Draco. “Tease, my arse,”

Draco actually laughed then. “Gryffindor prat,”

“Slytherin git,”

Draco stood, pulling his pants up, before reaching a hand out to help Harry up off the ground. “Is that anyway to talk to the guy about to return the favor?” he asked, pushing Harry against the edge of the desk and rubbing his erection.

Harry gasped, biting his lip as he stared into Draco’s eyes. “I may be willing to take it back,”

Draco gave him his signature smirk. “I’m listening,”

Harry laughed breathlessly, leaning in for a kiss. Draco sighed, kissing him back as he began to undo the buttons on Harry’s trousers, before pulling them down completely. Harry moaned, kissing Draco harder, running his hands through Draco’s silky smooth hair. “So hot,” he whispered against his lips.

Draco smirked. “I still haven’t heard that apology yet,” he said, licking at Harry’s lips, his hand starting to slowly stroke Harry’s cock.

Harry moaned, rocking his hips into the movement. “Do you deserve one?”

Draco tugged a bit harder on Harry’s cock, squeezing when he reached the head, before stroking back down again. Harry moaned even louder, his back arching a bit. “Okay,” he gasped. “I take it back,”

Draco smirked, dropping down onto his knees. “I thought so,” he said, beginning to lick his cock, top to bottom, before sucking him into his mouth, rolling his tongue around the head, before taking him in deeper. Harry moaned, hands still in Draco’s hair as he tugged, trying not to thrust into Draco’s mouth. “So good, Dragon,”

Draco hummed, secretly loving his nickname as he sucked harder on Harry’s cock, finding a good rhythm, as he used one hand to pump his cock and the other to grip his thigh, much like Harry had did previously.

Harry was already worked up from having gotten Draco off, and so didn’t last long. It only took a couple more strokes before he was coming down Draco’s throat. He sighed in comfort as he relaxed again against the table. Draco smiled, standing up again and kissing his boyfriend.

Harry smiled up at Draco dreamily. “You’re amazing,”

Draco snorted at that. “You’re only saying that because I just sucked you off,”

Harry laughed, shaking his head as he pulled Draco tightly in his arms. “Not true. You’re amazing all the time,”

Draco laughed, pressing his forehead to Harry’s. It was times like these where he just wanted to shout out to the world how much he loved this stupid Gryffindor, but every time, the words would never come to him. “You’re perfect,” he said instead, kissing Harry’s nose.

Harry sighed, nuzzling his cheek against Draco’s. “Not as perfect as you,”

“Well, that’s a given. I _am_ a Malfoy,”

Harry pulled back, rolling his eyes. “And just like that, you’re a prat again,” he said, shaking his head, as he pulled his pants back up. “Come on, I’m serious about finishing our school work. Hermione is going to kill us,”

Draco wanted to protest, wanted to keep Harry all to himself, wrapped up in his arms, but he knew he was right. He sighed. “Okay, but we still get to do whatever I want when we’re done.”

Harry gave him an odd look, but smiled nonetheless. “Didn’t we just do that?”

Draco waggled his eyebrows at Harry. “You haven’t seen anything yet,”

\---

What was only a week felt like a decade, before finally the end of the term had arrived. Everyone was crowded in the Gryffindor common room, excitement in the air as everyone talked about going home and visiting friends and family.

“You have plans, Hermione?” Neville was asking.

“Nope, I’m staying here,” she said, sitting in her favorite armchair with Crookshanks in her lap. “My parents are vacationing in Australia, so I’m staying behind,” she said, her voice sounding far away, but she quickly pulled herself back. “You?”

“Back to Grandma’s,” Neville said with a smile as he sat on the floor. “Should be...interesting,”

“We’re staying too,” Ron said, playing chess with his sister.

“We were going to go home, but Charlie couldn’t make it,” Ginny said, sounding a bit sad, but then shrugging it off. “He’ll be home this summer though,”

“Oh, lucky us!” Fred cheered from upstairs. “Maybe he’ll bring home another one of his dragons!” George said.

“He nearly burned the house down the last time!” Ron complained.

“Exactly!” the twins exclaimed, before disappearing again.

Hermione shook her head. “Those two are something else,”

Just then the portrait opened and in came Dean and Seamus, followed in by Harry and Draco. Most people were used to the Slytherin’s presence by now, and so didn’t even pay it any attention. The group of boys were laughing as they made their way towards the group of fifth years.

“Hey guys,” Seamus greeted, as he and Dean plopped down on the big sofa, directly in front of the fireplace.

“Where have you four been?” Ginny asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

Draco rolled his eyes. “Around,” he said, sitting in the other armchair, opposite Hermione.

Harry lightly punched Draco’s arm as he sat on the arm of his chair. “We were just studying in the library,”

Dean snickered. There had been a lot more snogging than there had been studying. Seamus punched Dean as well. “Happy the Hols are finally here though,”

Dean pouted. “I’m not. You’re leaving me,”

Seamus rolled his eyes, but kissed Dean’s cheek, causing everyone to go “aww!”. “I won’t be gone the whole time! I’m still here for a couple more days,”

Draco frowned, looking up at Harry. “You aren’t leaving, are you?”

Harry shook his head. “I’ll be right here,”

Draco smiled, pulling the Gryffindor down into his lap. “Good,” he said, kissing him softly on the lips. The other Gryffindors made noises of protest.

“Oh, so when they do it, everyone cheers, but when _we_ do it, it’s a crime,” Harry complained.

“We’re cute,” Dean said, sticking his tongue out.

“We’re hot,” Draco said. Harry made a face at that.

“Yeah, well, we’re definitely couple of the year, so…”

“Pretty sure we’re gayer though,” Draco countered.

“Are they seriously fighting over this?” Ron asked.

“We’re way gayer!”

“No one is as gay as Draco,”

“I don’t know whether to feel flattered or insulted.”

“Yes, they are,” Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

“Boys, boys, you’re all cute, and equally gay, calm down!” Ginny said, giggling.

“I’m still bi,” Harry countered.

Ginny rolled her eyes, laughing as she shook her head. “You just have to be special, don’t you?”

Draco scrunched up his face. “Girls are gross,”

“Agreed,” Dean and Seamus replied.

“Hey, speak for yourself!” Lavender called from across the room.

Everyone laughed at that, moving on into other areas of discussion, from plans of the holidays to their future plans after they take their O.W.L.S and of course their N.E.W.T.S. It got Draco wondering about his own future with Harry. He wasn’t sure what to expect, as he hadn’t thought much about it. He didn’t know how the Gryffindor felt either, but he hoped that what they had was a permanent thing. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of leaving Hogwarts and having to leave Harry as well. But that seemed like it was so far away. He wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.

Harry was having similar thoughts as well. He hoped that he and Draco would make it after Hogwarts. He hated the idea of ever having to give him up, but he knew it was more complicated than that, what with the impending war and all. He didn’t like thinking about it in general, but he knew that he needed to keep Draco safe. He needed to keep _everyone_ safe, but Draco was definitely at the top of the list. It was weird. He didn’t worry so much about Ron and Hermione because he somehow knew that they would somehow be okay. They’d been his friends since day one and he knew that they’d always be around.

He hoped Draco wouldn’t be any different.

Draco looked down then at Harry, still curled up in his lap. He was sitting sideways, so his legs were hanging over the other armrest as his head rested on Draco’s shoulder. Draco smiled warmly down at the Gryffindor, brushing some of his fringe out of the way so he could better look into those bright emerald green eyes.  
Harry smiled up at Draco, moving a hand up to lightly brush against Draco’s cheek. He looked so peaceful, it made his heart flutter. The thought that Draco was all his made his stomach do a couple flips as well. He so wanted to tell the Slytherin how much he cared for him, but there was other people in the room, and he felt as if somehow it wouldn’t be sufficient enough.

Dean and Seamus were gazing over at them from the sofa they were laying on together. “Do we look at each other like that?” Seamus asked, looking up to find Dean did in fact have a look on his face similar to the couple sitting opposite them.

Dean shrugged, also playing with Seamus’ hair as he laid across his lap, his arms wrapped around Seamus’ chest. “Maybe,” he said with a soft smile.

Ron snorted. “You all look like a bunch of sick love puppies,”

All four of them blushed at the comment. Hermione elbowed him. “Ronald!”

“What? They do!”

Ginny giggled. “Ron, you’re so oblivious,”

“What!”

Neville was laughing too now. “He’ll figure it out eventually,”

“Figure what out?”

Now Hermione was blushing, “Honestly,” she said, as she tried to hide her blush, paying extreme detail to petting her cat.

Harry shook his head, turning back to Draco. “He’s right, you know?”

Draco hummed. “About?”

Harry blushed. “About...you know…”

Draco smiled widely at Harry. “Say it,”

Harry was blushing even harder now. “It’s just...you know...I…” but he still couldn’t say it.

Draco chuckled, kissing the hand that was stroking his cheek. “I know, you like me very much,”

Harry blushed, hiding his face in Draco’s neck, but then he whispered “you mean everything to me,”

It wasn’t an “I love you”, but it was something, and it still managed to set Draco’s heart aflame. “You _are_ everything to me,”

Harry smiled, looking up at Draco, his own heart swelling at the sentiment. “Slytherin prat,” he said with no real venom. In fact, the phrase had turned into quite the endearment.

Draco smirked, kissing Harry’s lips. “Gryffindor git,”

Harry smiled even wider. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Keep me, hopefully,”

Harry laughed, feeling so utterly happy. “Anything for you,”

\---

Harry and Draco slowly made their way back down to the dungeons to say goodbye to one another. They stood outside the entrance sharing little kisses, neither one of them wanting to leave the other. It was starting to get late however, and Harry didn’t have his invisibility cloak with him, nor did he have his map, so he knew that he needed to get going fairly quickly.

Draco pulled away, being the more sensible one. “You should probably get going,” he told him.

Harry sighed, taking a step back. “Yeah, I know,”

Draco sent him a small smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right? Two weeks of just us two, remember?”

Harry blushed, but nodded. “Exactly.”

Draco paused, still not wanting to leave, but not wanting to get Harry in trouble either. “There was something I wanted to ask you,” he said, trailing off.

Harry perked up at that. “What is it?”

Now Draco was blushing. “Most of the Slytherins are going home for the holidays,” he began.

Harry nodded, waiting for Draco to continue.

“That means that the place will be mostly empty,” he said, nodding towards the door. “Well, except for a few of us anyways,” he added with a shrug.

Harry had a feeling he might know where Draco was going with this, and his heart skipped a beat. “So, what are you asking?”

Draco’s blush brightened even more, spreading down his neck. “Well I...I thought maybe...unless you don’t…”

Harry stepped forward, lifting up Draco’s chin so that he’d look at him. “Yes?”

Draco swallowed. “Would you...will you spend Christmas Eve with me? Down here?”

Harry smiled warmly at the blond, leaning in to give him a soft kiss. “Was that so hard?” he asked playfully.

Draco groaned, playfully pushing the Gryffindor away. “Whatever.”

Harry chuckled, kissing Draco’s cheek. “Of course I’ll spend Christmas Eve with you,”

Draco’s smile brightened. “Yeah...okay, I’ll um….yeah.”

Harry smiled even wider. Draco looking all embarrassed and flustered was the cutest thing ever. He kissed him one last time. “Goodnight, my precious Dragon.”

Draco blushed even harder. “Night Potter,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually posted two chapters!! Go check it out :)


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't write any smut this time!! But I was _super_ close! Idk what it is about me and writing drarry, it's like I can't control myself. I mean, I guess if you want me to write more, tell me, but like, if it becomes too much, then again, _tell_ me. Seriously, I should start a purely drarry smut series or something, idk. I'm rambling.....

Christmas break was in full swing, and everyone could finally breathe as the break began. Most students were heading home for the holiday’s, leaving the castle feeling a little bare. Some were happy about the castle’s emptiness, such as the few Ravenclaws staying behind and Umbridge, who felt this way it would be easier to keep track of everyone. Those who were staying at the castle enjoyed roaming the grounds freely, getting up when they wanted and going to bed when they wanted, as their curfew had been extended considerably.

Harry enjoyed staying behind too. He got to spend the time with his friends and it was more time he got to spend away from the Dursleys. Not mention, it now gave him even more time to hang out with Draco.

“You know what’s funny?” Harry asked him as they made their way towards the Room of Requirement.

“Hmm?” Draco said, not really paying attention as he looked around at all of the Christmas decorations. This was his favorite time of year.

“During our first year, you made fun of me for having to spend the Holidays here at Hogwarts, but you’ve stayed behind for every year since then.”

Draco blushed, ducking his head. “So?”

Harry rolled his eyes, playfully shoving Draco’s shoulder. “ _So_ , why make fun of me and then stay behind?”

“Maybe because I wanted someone to make fun of on the train ride home, and since you weren’t there, I had to stay here,”

“ _Or_ , maybe you had a crush on me and couldn’t stand the thought of being so far away from me for so long,”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Oh please, get over yourself, Potter,” he said. “Once again, maybe I just wanted someone to tease and torture,”

“You do enough of that now, already,” Harry said with a smirk.

Draco made a face, but his eyes were sparkling. “You’re disgusting, Potter,”

He only shrugged. “Just calling it as I see it,”

Draco snorted. “So what if I did fancy you back then. So what?”

“So, it would explain a lot,”

“Like?”

“Haven’t you ever heard of the phrase ‘he’s only mean to you because he likes you’?”

“Oh please,”

“Oh, so it’s not true?”

“Not in the slightest,”

“So, how is it then that we went from completely hating each other to being completely head over heels for one another,”

Draco snorted. “I have no idea what you’re going on about,” he said, his blush growing.

Harry smiled at Draco, playfully poking him. “I think you fell for me, Malfoy.”

“I did not fall for you, you over dramatic Gryffindor! You tripped me, and have refused to let me go ever since!” he said, but he was laughing by the end of it.

Harry’s smile widened, his grip in Draco’s hand tightening. “Never going to happen, either,”

Draco’s blush was making his cheeks feel on fire, but he didn’t care, finally meeting Harry’s gaze. “Good.”

\---

Draco and Harry currently sat in the Room of Requirement, Draco in Harry’s lap as they snogged on the couch. Since it was break and they had no studying to do, the room had altered itself again back down to how it originally looked before the DA lessons.

Harry moaned into Draco’s kisses, trying to relax as they became more urgent. There was only a couple of days left until Christmas, and Harry couldn’t get over both his nerves and excitement about spending the holiday with Draco.

“You excited to spend Christmas Eve with me?” Draco whispered in Harry’s ear, licking the shell, before biting down on the earlobe.

Harry gave a tiny moan, his body shivering at the touches. “Clearly somebody is,”

“You know, most of the Slytherins are gone,” Draco continued, now trailing his kisses down Harry’s neck. “And I’ve convinced my friends to let us have the common room for the night,”

Harry continued to shiver and moan, loving all of Draco’s attention. “Hmm, sounds promising,”

Draco smirked, sitting up to look at Harry. “I’ll have you all to myself,” he said with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Harry returned the smirk. “And just what do you plan to do with me?”

Draco’s smirk grew even wider. “Too many things to count,”

Harry’s mind began to race at all of the possibilities. “You don’t mean…”

“Not unless you want to,” Draco said, but his eyes were growing darker, and he licked his lips just thinking of the prospects. “But we could...if you really wanted to,”

“I…” Harry paused, taking a deep breath. “I mean, I’m not opposed…”

Draco leaned forward, stealing another hot kiss. “Let’s just see where it goes,” Draco said, smiling sweetly at Harry.

Harry smiled too, kissing Draco’s forehead. “No rushing, remember?” he teased.

Draco laughed, flipping them so that he laid with his back against the couch and Harry hovering above him. “Oh, I think we’re past that,” he said, pulling Harry flush against him.

Harry gasped. “You think?”

Draco didn’t answer, only pulled him down for another kiss. Draco was intoxicating, and Harry couldn’t get enough of him as he surrendered himself over to the blond.

\---

As Christmas crept closer, Harry felt even more excited, but with it more nerves. He wasn’t sure why, he just felt as if...something wasn’t right. Of course he was excited to be spending Christmas Eve with his boyfriend, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. And, yeah, he was nervous about what might happen while staying the night with him, but he wasn’t freaking out or anything.

So why did he feel so uneasy?

Today marked the 22nd of December and Harry woke up feeling sick to his stomach. He quickly hopped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, before proceeding to vomit. After he had cleaned himself up, he headed back into the dorm room, glad to see none of his roommates had woken up. Harry shook his head, decidedly blaming the sickness on whatever he had eaten last night, but it still didn’t make him feel any better. He was still the slightest bit queasy, and his nerves hadn’t died down at all. If anything, he seemed to be more on edge than ever. Harry tried to shake it off, thinking of other things, but whatever he did, he couldn’t shake the feeling.

After eating some breakfast, he felt much better, and when they all went back up to the common room, Harry played a rather intense game of chess with Ron, before sitting back down on the couch and talking with Dean while Hermione sat in a nearby chair working on some extra credit assignments she’d asked for before break started. Later on, the Gryffindors decided to have another massive snowball fight, which afterwards lead to the group of shivering Gryffindors to huddle up around the common room fireplace, before heading down to lunch. Following that, Harry spent some alone time with Draco just walking around the grounds, talking, laughing, and of course snogging as snow continued to fall all around the grounds. Once back inside, it was time for dinner, and after that, everyone huddled back up in front of the fireplace in the common room.

All in all, the day hadn’t been all too bad, and Harry went to sleep that night wondering what he had been so worried about.

\---  
That night, Harry’s dreamed merged together in a bit of a blur. Multiple things were flashing across his mind all at once. He dreamed about Umbridge and all of the pranks they had been pulling over the year, dreamt about seeing Sirius again and how happy he is to be spending the summer with him. He dreamt about he and Ron being captain and co captain of the quidditch team, of Hermione being Head Girl, and he even dreamt of a Draco as the two sat outside in the warm sunlight, sitting under their tree as the wind blew in the early springtime...

And then...

_Harry was standing in that corridor again. The hissing was growing louder and louder as he slowly made his way down towards that mysterious door at the end of the hallway. He crept closer and closer, the hissing growing stronger, practically vibrating throughout the hall. He had almost made it to the end, his hand reaching out to just barely graze the doorknob, when something else caught his attention. He turned his head in either direction, listening closely. He could sense somebody else was nearby and instinctively went to investigate._

_**His body felt smooth, powerful, and flexible. He was gliding between shining metal bars, across dark, cold stone... It was dark, yet he could see objects around him shimmering in strange, vibrant colors. He turned his head, and at first glance, the corridor was empty….but then he realized there was a man there, sitting on the floor ahead, his chin drooping onto his chest, his outline gleaming in the dark... He was alive but drowsing, sitting in front of a door at the end of the corridor. Harry suddenly had the urge to bite the man… but he had more important things to do. But then the man started to stir, a silvery cloak fell from his legs as he jumped to his feet; and Harry saw his vibrant, blurred outline towering above him, saw a wand withdrawn from a belt… Harry had no choice, he reared high from the floor and struck once, twice, three times, plunging his fangs deeply into the man’s flesh, feeling his ribs splinter beneath his jaws, feeling the warm gush of blood…. The man was yelling in pain…. Then he fell silent…. He slumped against the back wall…. Blood was splattering the floor…. Harry’s forehead hurt terribly… It was aching, fit to burst…_ **

“Harry! _Harry!_ ” Ron shouted from beside his bed.

Harry’s eyes flew open as he sat up in bed, his breathing heavy. He couldn’t even focus on his friend as his vision was blurred, not at all helped by the fact that he didn’t have his glasses on. His body was covered in sweat, he felt freezing cold, he was twisted up in his covers, and his scar burned as if someone was trying to tear it open with a white hot knife.

“Harry!” Ron continued to shout, anything to get his friend to focus on him. He was terrified beyond belief. Dean was the only other one left in the room, as Neville and Seamus were gone for the Holidays, and the tall fifth year seemed just as frightened as Ron, as he stood on the other side of Harry’s bed.

Harry clutched his head in his hands, the pain blinding him.

“Should we call someone?” Dean asked, trying not to panic.

Harry couldn’t take the pain, and he turned over and threw up over the side of his bed.

“I’m going for help!” Dean said, bolting out the door.

“Ron!” Harry gasped, once he could sit up again. “Ron, you’re dad!”

Ron, still panicked, now also looked highly confused. “What? Harry—”

“Your dad!” he continued. “Ron, he’s in trouble, I saw it!” Ron was now staring in disbelief as he shook his head. “He’s been attacked!”

“Harry, you must have been dreaming—”

“ _No!_ ” Harry shouted, he needed Ron to understand. “It wasn’t a dream Ron, I _saw_ it! I was there! _I_ attacked him!” Harry didn’t know how to   
make it anymore clear. He was shaking violently, trying to hold down the vomit as he tried to explain, but that came back up too as he leaned back over the side of the bed again.  
Ron jumped back, clearly startled. “Harry, you’re ill! Hold on, Dean went to go get help,”

“I’m fine!” he urged. “It’s your dad we need to be worried about!” he said, trying to get out of bed. 

Ron immediately came over, pushing Harry back down into bed. It made him feel dizzy, his head spinning even worse. He was still shaking violently, his scar starting to burn less, but still set ablaze as he tried to take deep breaths. Soon, Dean was running back over to them, McGonagall right behind him.

“What is it Potter? How are you feeling? Where do you hurt?”

“Ron’s dad!” he said again. “He’s been attacked by a snake! He needs help, now! I saw it happen with my own two eyes!”

McGonagall frowned. “You mean you were dreaming, Mr. Potter?”

“ _No!_ ” Harry cried angrily. Why was no one listening to him? “It was like a vision! I saw it happen! _I was there!_ ”

McGonagall’s eyes had gone wide at the outburst.

Harry was starting to lose his energy. “I saw it happen!” he said, his voice not as strong as before. “I did! He was lying on the floor against the wall! There was blood everywhere! The snake bite him and he needs help, we have to….we have to…” Harry suddenly felt very heavy. “We have to find him!”

“I believe you, Potter,” McGonagall said, and it was the last thing Harry heard before he passed out.

\---

When Harry came to, it was a short while later. He recognized that he was in the headmaster’s office, laying down on a makeshift bed. On either other side of him stood Ron and Hermione, and at the foot of the bed stood McGonagall and none other than Dumbledore himself.

Harry frowned. “What’s going on?”

“Actually, we were hoping that you could tell us that,” McGonagall said.

“Yes, something about a nightmare?” Dumbledore supplied.

Harry shook his head frantically. “It wasn’t a nightmare, it was real!” he insisted, the memory flashing back into his mind, making him feel sick again. “I was asleep at first, but then it shifted, I could tell! It was real! I saw it happen, Ron’s dad—Mr. Weasley—has been attacked by a giant snake,”

The room was dead silent, no one knowing what to say to Harry’s words. It sounded so...unreal, even to himself, but Harry was confident in what he saw, and he wasn’t going to back down until he was sure that Mr. Weasley was safe.

“How did you see this?” Dumbledore asked, in that calm voice he always managed to carry.

Harry opened his mouth about to yell at the headmaster. What did he mean ‘how did you see this?’, but then a thought occurred to him, and his eyes widened. “I saw it...I was the snake,” he whispered. “From the snake’s point of view”

Once again, no one said a word, and Ron looked especially white and awestruck. And then Dumbledore turned to address one of the portraits. “Everard and Dilys!” he called. Two figures appeared out of the paintings. “Red hair and glasses,” the headmaster said. “Make sure that he is found and kept safe,” he said, as the two figures nodded and left their paintings without a word.

Harry frowned, opening his mouth to say something when Dumbledore spoke again. “Hermione, Ron, please take a seat, this could take a while. Professor McGonagall, some extra chairs if you would please…”

McGonagall did as asked, and they all sat down, waiting. Harry was debating whether or not he should say something else as Ron continued to look in utter shock and Hermione looked helpless as to what she should do to help them. Just when Harry thought he could take the silence no longer, Everard came running back into his portrait. “We found him! They were carrying him away just as I had found him! He doesn’t look good,”

“Ah, then they must be carrying him over to St. Mungo’s,” Dumbledore said as Ron seemed to go even paler. Dilys decided then to show up as well. “Yes, they just carted him away, lot’s of blood,” she said, causing Ron to let out a weird, high pitched noise as he began to shake.

Dumbledore stood up then. “McGonagall, I must go get the other Weasley children, I’m sure I can trust you to stay here,”

“Of course,” she said, nodding her head.

“Good. Give Phineas a message for me please?” he said, and then he was out the door. 

McGonagall stood, and walked over to Phineas Nigellus’ portrait. “Phineas? Phineas!” she addressed the figure.

He gave a jerk, but then stood up straight. “Yes?”

“I need you to visit your other portrait,” she said. “Tell Sirius Black—”

“Do I have to?” the painting asked in dismay. “It’s awfully late, and I’m so tired—”

“This is important!” McGonagall snapped. “Alert Sirius black that Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley’s will be coming over to stay for a little while. Tell him that Arthur Weasley is hurt and that we are currently working to let Mrs. Weasley know, although with that clock of hers, she’s probably already well aware,”

Phineas nodded, and was gone without another word. Soon afterwards, Dumbledore was back with the twins and Ginny.

“What’s going on?” Ginny asked, immediately walking over to sit next to her brother, the twins following behind. Harry quickly told them everything he knew, and before long Phineas had returned to his portrait.

“Bring them through, he says,” Phineas said.

McGonagall nodded. “Alright, over to the floo you go, before Umbridge starts sticking her nose in things,”

Dumbledore stood on one side of the fireplace, McGonagall on the other as they moved the kids through quickly. They didn’t have anything with them as this was so sudden, but they had clothes at Grimmauld from over the summer, and it wasn’t like they needed their school work. Harry was the last one to go through, and Dumbledore squeezed his shoulder as he entered inside of the green flames. Harry thought maybe he had intended on telling him something, but then the headmaster gave him a pile of floo powder and he was off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the semi-cliffhanger, but that's it for now. The next chapter is currently *hmm* I'd say about half way done. So look for it within the next two days or so.
> 
> ** Also, part of harry’s dream comes straight out of OotP, so here’s my very incorrect citation. Please don’t sue me :)


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...don't even have anything to say...
> 
> Wait, yes I do!
> 
> It's finished!!!
> 
> Yes, I am going to post the rest of this story right now, and then post the first chapter of the second one :) It's called Darkest Before the Light and takes place pretty much right where this one ends, so yay!! New story :D
> 
> Sorry I've been gone for so long :( but I'm back, so yay!!

Once on the other side, Sirius was there, along with Lupin and Mrs. Weasley as they began ushering the children around. Everyone was too on edge to sleep, so Mrs. Weasley gathered up pillows and blankets to be spread out around the sitting room, while Lupin stood in the kitchen making everyone hot cocoa, and Sirius made sure everyone was okay and had enough room around the slightly cramped area.

As soon as everyone settled down, Lupin came in, floating cups of chocolate goodness to everyone while Mrs. Weasley rushed out of the room, probably to wait for more news. Sirius sat down on one of the vacant couches, patting the spot next to him for Lupin to sit. The twins occupied the other couch, Ginny and Hermione both laying down by the fire, while Ron and Harry both sat in armchairs. They could faintly hear Mrs. Weasley in the other room floo calling with someone.

“Well, it’s been quite a night, huh?” Sirius said, trying to break the silence. There were only grumbles around the room.

“I’d suggest trying to get some sleep, but I somehow doubt that’s going to happen,” Lupin said. “So why don’t you all tell us how school’s going?”

“Umbridge is awful,” Harry grunted.

“O.W.L.S. are stressing me out to no end,” Hermione sighed.

“Looks like we don’t have detention tomorrow,” Fred said with a wide grin.

“How’d you two manage to get detention over holiday?” Ginny asked.

George shrugged. “We have our ways.”

“Besides, we were just going to help decorate the dining hall for Christmas,” Fred said, using finger quotes around ‘help decorate’.

Ron snorted. “Only you two would find a way to ruin Christmas Eve,”

Harry’s head shot up at that. “Oh no.”

“What?” George said. “We weren’t going to do anything _that_ bad.” Fred said. “Just a sprinkler or two!” they said together.

Harry shook his head, his eyes wide. “No, not that.”

Ron looked confused. “Then what?”

“You okay Harry?” Hermione asked.

“I was supposed to…” he trailed off, looking over at Sirius and Lupin who were both looking at him, just as curious as the others. “Me and Draco made plans to hang out tomorrow...today.” he said, glancing at the clock that read 3:02am.

“Oh, Harry,” Hermione said with a frown.

“Bummer,” Ron said.

“I’m sure he’ll understand,” Ginny said.

“Wait, Malfoy?” Sirius asked.

“You mean Lucius’ kid?” Lupin chimed in.

Harry blushed, but nodded. “Yes. Him.”

“You two are...friends?” Sirius asked again.

Harry’s blush deepend. “Erm...not exactly.”

“Not exactly?” Lupin pushed.

“We’re…together.”

Sirius’ eyes grew wide, while Lupin simply looked contemplative. “Like… _together_ together?” Sirius asked, clearly in disbelief.

Lupin rolled his eyes, but he was also slightly confused. “For how long?”

Harry’s blush was bright, but so was his smile. “Almost three months,”

“Wow,” was all Sirius could say.

“It’s been that long?” George asked. “I feel like it’s been ages!” Fred said.

“They’ve been pinning after each other for years!” Ginny said with a giggle.

“Honestly, I wasn’t surprised,” Hermione said with a fond smile.

“Was I the only one caught of guard by this?!” Ron asked. “I mean, yeah, after I thought about it, it was obvious, but still!”

Lupin laughed. “Well, you certainly remind me of your parents, Harry. Granted they didn’t fight quite like the two of you do, but Lily wasn’t all too fond of James at first,”

Harry smiled. “Tell me,”

So Sirius and Lupin took turns telling them stories of Harry’s parents, until one by one each of them fell asleep. Soon it was only Harry and Lupin. “I wish I could remember them.” Harry said. “I have bits and pieces, but… I wish I had more,”

Lupin smiled sadly at him. “They’re always with you, you know,”

Harry smiled nodding. They were silent for a few moments before Harry spoke again. “Why do you think Dumbledore didn’t let Draco come with us?”

Lupin sat and thought for a moment. “Well, he wouldn’t know where to go, now would he?”

“Yeah, but Dumbledore is Secret Keeper. He could have just told him.”

“He’s not a member of the Order though,”

“But he could be! I mean, if he wanted to I guess. He helps me teach the DA.”

“The what?”

“The—oh! I… you know, I’ve meant to owl you a couple of times.” Harry said sheepishly.

Lupin rolled his eyes, but smiled fondly at Harry. “Teenagers.” he said.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Anyways, I guess I just wish he was here. I mean I love Ron and Hermione, but he’s just as important to me now.”

Lupin smiled. “I know exactly what you mean.” he said chancing a glance over at Sirius who was snoring rather loudly with his head on Lupin’s shoulder.

Harry smiled. “I haven’t told him yet but…. I love him so much. I know there’s a war going on and just a couple of months ago I couldn’t stand him, but… I love him.”

Lupin nodded his head, trying to cover up a yawn. “Love works in the strangest of ways.”

“I just wish I could work up the courage to tell him.”

Lupin shrugged. “You could always show him,”

Harry frowned. “How would I do that?”

Lupin yawned again, sinking down further on the couch while trying not to disturb Sirius. “We’ll talk in the morning. Molly should be very useful to us as well.”

Harry nodded, smiling as he pulled his blankets up and settled down to sleep.

\---

The next morning was hectic. Everyone was able to get in a couple hours of sleep before the anxiety started to get to everyone. Mrs. Weasley was up early cooking up a feast to feed an entire village. Lupin was up, making various floo calls, while Sirius helped with the cooking and began ushering the kids around one by one. Once the food was finished, Mrs. Weasley packed some of it up and was off to the hospital to visit Mr. Weasley. Meanwhile, the kids all sat down to eat, joined by Lupin and Sirius. Everyone was chatting amongst themselves at the kitchen table. The atmosphere was still a bit sad and gloomy, but they were all trying to work past that.

After breakfast, everyone kind of just sat around, reading, playing chess, or just pacing around the room. Eventually, Mrs. Weasley appeared through the fireplace with a sort of smile on her face. “We can go see him now,” she said. She was still tense, but clearly something was _finally_ happening, and so the family began making their way through the fireplace, Sirius and Lupin making sure everyone got through safely, assuring them that they’d be there once they returned back.

The trip to St. Mungos was a bit of a long one as they had to track their way a bit through muggle London, but they managed to get there, and in no time were standing in front of the main desk, who then ushered them to the correct floor and room number. 

“I’ll just be a minute.” Mrs. Weasley said as she entered into Arthur’s room, leaving the kids outside to wait.

“Okay, gather around!” Fred said as he and George began to hand out extendable ears. They all gathered around the door to listen in on what the healers were saying on the other side. The Healer’s mostly talked about how Arthur was injured, but that he would recover and just needs a little bit more watching over. Finally, the door opened, and everyone else was allowed to come inside. After each of the kids got to say hello, they went exploring around the hospital while Mrs. Weasley stayed behind to be with her husband. After what felt like hours, it was finally time for everyone to head back home.

With everyone off and doing their own thing around the house, Harry was finally able to talk to Lupin and Mrs. Weasley alone. Harry entered inside the kitchen to find the two sipping a cup of tea. Mrs. Weasley was in the middle of knitting, and Lupin was reading an article from _The Daily Prophet_. Harry, feeling kind of awkward and not knowing how to start the conversation, simply cleared his throat.

Mrs. Weasley looked up and smiled. “Well, hello dear! Anything we can help you with?”

Harry had a slight blush on his cheeks as he tried to find words. “I...well, actually…” he looked towards Lupin for help as he shifted from one foot to the other.

Lupin laughed, setting his paper aside. “He’s having some boy problems,”

“Lupin!”

“Sorry, _love_ boy problems,”

“Not helping!”

Mrs. Weasley laughed. “Is this about Malfoy, dear?”

“Yes,” Harry hissed, glaring at Lupin who only laughed. “I want to tell him I love him, but I don’t know how. Also, any last minute Christmas ideas you have would be wonderful,”

Mrs. Weasley stood up from her chair, a bright smile on her face. “Don’t you worry deary, I know just the thing,” she said, winking at Harry, before urging him forward. “You know what they say, the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!”

\---

“Okay, okay, shh!” Mrs. Weasley called out. “Gather around! Come come, you too Remus!”

The Weasley’s, Harry, Hermione, Sirius and Lupin all sat around in a circle by the Christmas tree that stood tall by the fireplace. It was brightly lit, beautifully decorated, and positively overflowing with presents.

“Come on now,” Mrs. Weasley said, passing out gifts. “You all know the rules! We all open one and then it’s off to bed!”

“Let me guess,” Fred said, shaking his box. “Sweaters!” George finished, pressing his ear to the box as if it would start speaking to him.

“Ssh!” Mrs. Weasley scolded them. “You’ll ruin the surprise!”

The twins laughed, and while Mrs. Weasley only looked slightly irritated, everyone in the room knew that a Weasley sweater was what was likely in their boxes. “Go on Harry, you first,” Mrs. Weasley encouraged with a smile.

Harry neatly yet quickly tore the wrapping paper off of his present, placing the bow off to the side, before taking the top off of his gift. It was indeed a Weasley sweater, the letter H centered in the middle, stitched in gold. This year, his sweater was a dark blue color, with a quidditch broomstick as the design. Harry smiled, thanking Mrs. Weasley, before slipping it on over his head. The others did the same, until everyone in the room was wearing one. Mrs. Weasley smiled, ushering everyone off to bed allowing them each a cookie and a glass of milk.

Soon, everyone was fast asleep, but Harry couldn’t quite get there. He laid in bed, imagining what tonight could have been like had he still been at Hogwarts with Draco. It had only been a day, but he already missed everything about him; his smile, his snark, his terrible jokes. Harry sighed, rolling over in his bed, trying to get comfortable. He was excited for Christmas, but what he was most looking forward to was seeing his smiling dragon again.

\---

“Books!” Ron said, rolling his eyes as Hermione fawned over the new set Ginny had gotten her. “Why am I not surprised?”

Harry rolled his eyes, as he unwrapped yet another pair of socks from Dobby. “Ron, we _all_ got her books. And besides, was anyone really surprised by all the new quidditch gear you got?”

Ron frowned, eyeing his quidditch kit and new cleaning supplies protectively. “I guess not…”

“Ooh, how did you all know?” Mrs. Weasley squealed as she pulled out new oven mitts with a matching apron and hand towels.

“Anything for you mum,” Fred said. “Only the best!” George replied.

“Oh, the only way this could be any better was if your father was here,”

“Well, it’s a good thing I was able to make it!” Mr. Weasley said, emerging from the kitchen, followed by Remus and Sirius.

“Oh, Arthur!” Mrs. Weasley wailed, standing up and rushing over to her husband, embracing him in a tight hug.

“The healer’s gave him the okay to come home,” Remus explained as everyone took turns hugging the man.

“Can’t tell you how happy I am to be here! Happy Christmas everyone!” he said, passing out as many hugs as he could.

“Dad, you have to open all of your presents,” Ginny said, smiling widely.

“Oh, open mine first!” Ron said.

And so everyone sat back down and passed out more presents, smiling and laughing amongst one another. Everyone was relieved to have Mr. Weasley back home, and it made everyone that much more thankful to be together. The day was bright and filled with love and laughter. Harry only wished he could have shared it with Draco.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything else that happens in this chapter from the book such as finding Lockhart and running into Neville's parents still happens, I just didn't want to write all of that out, so let's just pretend :)


	28. Chapter 28

Christmas came and went, and soon it was time for everyone to return back to Hogwarts. Harry was sad he had to leave Sirius and Lupin behind, but he was anxious to get back to school for many reasons. One by one they each flooed back into the Headmaster’s office, where he greeted them all, before ushering them back to their dorm room. It was early morning and classes were to resume the following morning, so they had the remainder of the day to catch up with friends and get ready for the rest of the school year. It was just after breakfast, so the common room was full of students bustling about.

Not everyone had heard what had happened, as most of them had been away for the holiday, but Dean, Seamus, and Neville all rushed over at once asking a million questions.

“Harry! You’re back!”

“What happened?”

“Where did you go?”

“Are you feeling any better?”

“What happened the other night?”

“Is your scar still hurting?”

“What did McGonagall say?”

“Is Ron’s dad okay?”

“Have you talked to Malfoy yet?”

They were all talking at once, but the last one made Harry wince. “Erm, I’m fine, everything’s fine, Ron’s dad is okay, we just went to grrmm—uh, we went to see my godfather, my scar is fine, and...no. I haven’t even seen him yet,”

Dean frowned, Seamus shook his head, and Neville’s eyes widened. “You should probably go talk to him” he said.

“Yeah, you should have seen him the other day,” Dean said.

“It wasn’t pretty,”

Harry closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “What happened?”

“Well, first he was mad,” Neville said. “like… _really_ mad,”

“He tracked us down and was demanding answers,” Dean continued. “Of course I told him everything, seeing as I was the only one who had been there,” Dean said. “After I explained what happened, he immediately began to panic.”

“He ran to Dumbledore looking for answers, but…” Seamus trailed off.

“Obviously, he wouldn’t tell him anything,” Neville said.

“So, he’s just been...here,” Dean said with a shrug. “He’s been really down lately, actually.

“I came back a couple days ago, and I’ve only seen him twice,” Seamus said. “Once at Breakfast and once in the library, both times he was huddled up with Pansy, and he wasn’t saying anything. He just had this blank sort of look on his face.”

“Unless you tried to talk to him,” Dean said with a shudder. “Then he’d proceed to give everyone death glares until they either left the room or were out of his sight. Whichever was closer.”

Harry sighed, turning to look at Ron and Hermione. “I better go find him,” he said, waving goodbye to the others, before running up to his dorm room. Once there, he gathered the rest of the gifts he’d hidden from Draco, before grabbing his map and searching for Draco’ name. He couldn’t find it anywhere, and it took him a minute to realize that it meant he was probably in the room of requirement. Stuffing the map away, he made a dash down the stairs and out the portrait hole.

Not many students were crowded about, so it didn’t take long for him to reach the seventh floor. However, the door wasn’t there, so Harry quickly walked back and forth begging the room to let him in, before finally a door appeared in front of him. Harry prayed it worked, reaching an unsteady hand out and slowly pushing the door open.

The room opened to reveal Draco sitting in front of a lit fireplace. No chairs, no desks, no long rows of books. Just Draco, wrapped up tightly in a blanket as he started into the flames of the fire. Harry sighed in relief, just happy to have found the blond.

At the sound of Harry entering the room, Draco’s head snapped up and the two made instant eye contact. Harry emerged fully into the room, closing the door behind him, his eyes never leaving Draco’s. “Hi,” was the only thing he could manage to muster, and then he felt utterly stupid. He’d basically abandoned Draco all week, and all he could do was say hi?

In and instant, Draco was up and wrapping Harry tightly in a hug. “I have been worried _sick_!” he said, somehow squeezing Harry even tighter.

Harry immediately returned the embrace, hugging Draco just as tightly. “I know. Draco I’m _so_ sorry.”

Draco sniffled a bit, before pulling away and beginning to smack Harry all over his arms and chest. “Don’t. You. _Ever_. Do that to me again!” he said, emphasizing each word with a smack. “I have been worried _sick_ over you! You bloody, stupid, Gryffindor git! I could just strangle you I’m so mad! Stupid prat, maybe a warning next time!” he continued to yell, his smacks becoming less and less intense. “Next time send an owl or something! Stupid, stupid, _stupid!_ ”

“Alright, alright, I get it!” Harry said, grabbing Draco’s fists. “I’m an idiot,”

“And a git, and a prat, and a nuisance, and a dimwit, and a—”

“Are you done?” Harry asked, unable to help a slight smile.

“And if I weren’t so happy you’re alive, I’d kill you myself!”

“With what?” Harry asked with a chuckle. “Your mighty dragon breath?”

Draco glared daggers into Harry. “I. Hate. You.”

Harry smile broke out into a full grin and he pulled Draco close. “I missed you too,” he said silencing Draco with a kiss.

Draco wanted to protest, he really did. He was so angry, but Harry was holding him, kissing him. How could he resist. “I still hate you,” he murmured after they broke away.

“Understandable,” Harry said, leading them over to a couch that appeared. Next to it appeared a small table as well, and so he dropped his gifts on to it, before pulling Draco down onto the couch with him. “I suppose I should explain what happened then?”

Draco huffed. “That’s the smartest thing you’ve said yet,”

So Harry explained everything, from the nightmare up until now, including why Draco couldn’t have come with them, and why they had stayed away for so long. Draco was still upset by the end, but he was still relieved that everyone was okay. “I may not like your Weasel, but I’m happy you’re all back.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “ _My_ weasel, we all know you like Ron,”

Draco snorted. “As if. Can I have my presents now?”

“You and your one track mind,”

“I’ve been waiting all week!”

Harry laughed, as suddenly next to the fireplace, a Christmas tree appeared, fully decorated and shining brightly next to the fire. Harry shrugged, grabbing Draco’s hand and moving them to sit next to the tree. “I don’t see why not,” he said, moving his presents underneath the tree.

Draco smiled, unshrinking a sack he had as well and adding Harry’s presents to the mix. “If only we had some cookies,”

Harry smiled, summoning Dobby, who promptly brought them milk and cookies to snack on. In no time, the room had transformed from dark and gloomy to bright and cheerful, the fire bright and the Christmas tree gleaming. Draco wrapped his blanket around Harry, pulling him right next to him, placing a kiss on his cheek. “Happy Christmas,” he said, handing him his first present.

“Happy Christmas,” Harry returned as he handed Draco a present as well.

The two went back and forth trading various little presents; Draco got Harry a new quidditch book, a brand new set of DA books filled with spells and counter attacks, treacle tart of course, and some new quills as he tends to break his when he’s stressed.

In return, Harry got Draco a new set of potions books, as well as a brand potions new kit, new quidditch gear, and the endless ink wells, as well as a ton of chocolate and the Weasley sweater Molly had knit for him. It was a light blue color, the D stitched in grey, with snakes as the design.

Draco smiled, laughing a bit weirdly. “I got a sweater?” he said, holding it up to his body.

“Yup! It’s official,” Harry said, smiling widely.

Draco frowned, slipping on the sweater. “What is?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “You’re a Weasley now, silly,” Harry said as if it was so obvious, giving his boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.

Draco’s eyes grew wide. “Oh no,”

Harry couldn’t help it, he broke out laughing. “Merlin no! But the look on your face!” Draco frowned as Harry wiped away a tear. “It just means...you’re okay. Like...the Weasley’s have accepted you. It’s official. _You’re_ official,”

Draco couldn’t help but to smile at that. “I take it they took us dating well then,”

Harry blushed. “Sirius was a bit taken aback, but other than that, yeah. They all like you,”

“They all tolerate me is more like it,”

“Oh stop it!” Harry scolded him. “They like you well enough, it’s just that not all of them have had the chance to meet you properly yet. But I know that as soon as they do, they’ll absolutely adore you,”

Draco rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “Well, I am pretty amazing,”

“There’s my Draco,” Harry said, leaning over and kissing him properly.

Draco leaned into the kiss, cupping Harry’s face. “I really have missed you,” he whispered against his lips.

Harry smiled, kissing him back again. “Not as much as I’ve missed you,”

Draco pulled back wincing. “Ugh, we are not doing that.”

Harry frowned. “Doing what?”

“The whole ‘more’ thing! I miss you more, I love you more, bleh!” Draco said with a shudder. “We are not becoming _that_ couple!”

Harry laughed, shaking his head. “Point taken. Come on, I saved the best gifts for last!” Harry said, handing Draco one of his smaller presents.

Draco took the small box from Harry, slowly unwrapping it, before taking the top off. Inside was a bracelet, looped in a chain, and when Draco pulled it out, it was clear that the bracelet was actually a dragon, looping around itself to make the bracelet.

Draco smiled, holding out his arm to Harry. “Will you put it on?”

Harry smiled, taking the bracelet and wrapping it around Draco’s wrist, linking the ends together, which was the dragon’s teeth holding on to the clasp on the other side. “A dragon for my dragon,”

Draco smiled, pulling Harry in for another kiss. “I love it,”

Harry smiled back. “I have one more thing for you,”

“Oh! Me first,” Draco said, reaching under the tree and handing Harry a wrapped package. “I think you’re really going to like it,” he said with a bright smile.

Harry smiled brightly, unwrapping the present to reveal a picture frame. It was a simple black frame, with the word _Always_ engraved at the bottom in neat cursive. Inside the frame was of course a moving picture, and Harry gave an amused smile.

“It’s us from first year,” he said with a laugh. “We don’t look very happy,” he said as he stared at the the picture, which was of the two of them glaring at each other while standing in the hallway.

Draco’s smile widened. “Turn the picture sideways,”

Harry gave Draco a weird look, but did as he was told, gasping when he did. The picture changed, and instead of the two glaring at each other, it was a picture of the two of them smiling, looking fondly at each other. This picture had clearly been taken sometime during the past year, and the difference was immediate in the way they both looked. In the first one they’re both stiff and glaring each other down. In this one however, they were both relaxed, eyes bright, and clearly laughing at something the other must have said. Harry was mesmerized as he moved the picture frame back and forth.

“Collin has a huge collection of photos,” Draco explained. “Honestly, he should make photo albums and sell them to the students. It took a lot of work to get those two photos off his hands, let alone get him to piece them together like that,”

Harry’s smile was so big, his cheeks were starting to hurt. He was trying his best not to cry as he pulled Draco into a tight hug. “This is absolutely perfect,” he said, kissing Draco’s cheek.

Draco blushed. “And super Hufflepuff, I know,”

Harry laughed, shaking his head. “You are brilliant. Just utterly brilliant.”

Draco rolled his eyes, but his blush wouldn’t leave his face. “Where’s my last present?”

Harry smiled, pulling out one last box. “It’s food, actually.”

Draco smiled, reaching out eager hands. “Ooh, I hope it’s more dessert!”

Harry laughed, nodding as Draco uncovered the box to find it filled with cupcakes, the frosting all different sorts of colors and in the shape of flowers. “Oh! They look like roses,” Draco said, picking one up to examine it.

Harry nodded, starting to blush a bit. “They’re all different flavors, but it’s the color of the flowers-er-frosting I wanted you to pay attention to. I know you’re kind of big on them.”

“I love flowers,” Draco said, taking a bit of a chocolate one frosted in red.

“So you know all the different flowers and what they mean then,” Harry urged.

Draco nodded, clearly enjoying his cupcake. “Sure! The yellow roses,” he said, pointing to the vanilla cupcakes, “symbolize friendship. And the pink ones are for happiness and joy,” he said, indicating the strawberry ones.

Harry nodded. “Yes, exactly,”

Draco smiled continuing on. “Orange is for enthusiasm and passion, blue for trust, and cream is for charm and thoughtfulness,” he said.

Harry smiled, still a tad bit nervous. “You’re good at this,”

“Hmm,” Draco said, grabbing another red one. “They all have different meanings depending on the color, which is why people love...sending roses…” Draco said, starting to catch on.

Harry smiled even brighter. “Exactly.”

“And these colors...actually describe our relationship pretty well.”

Harry nodded, grabbing a red one for himself. “Yup.”

“Which means…” Draco said, looking between their two cupcakes. “Harry, do you know what the red ones mean?”

Harry’s blush was definitely giving him away. “Maybe,” he said, taking a bit out of his cupcake to try and distract himself.

“Harry…” Draco said, his slight blush starting to return. “Why do you think _red_ roses specifically are so popular? Especially around valentine’s day?”

Harry’s blush was even deeper, and spreading down his neck. “Well, they are a pretty color,”

“ _Harry!_ ” Draco pressed.

“They mean I love you!” Harry finally blurted out. “That’s why I picked these colors.” he added sheepishly. “In our relationship, there’s friendship and joy, but also trust. There’s passion and thoughtfulness, you’re the charming one, and…” Harry trailed off.

“Love?” Draco finished.

Harry looked up, meeting Draco’s eyes. “Draco, I’ve been denying it for so long, and when I finally came to the realization of what I was feeling, I could never bring myself to just tell you how much I love you. Because I do. I love you more than I ever thought possible, and every time I look at you, I just want to scream it for the world to hear. I love you, Draco. I really do.”

Draco dropped the other half of his cupcake as he threw his arms around Harry, kissing him as if his life depended on it. Tears were falling down his rosy cheeks, but he didn’t care. Harry said he loved him, and he felt overwhelmed with happiness. “I love you too, you great Gryffindor sap!”

Harry laughed, his own tears streaming down his face. “Merlin, we are a mess,” he said, kissing Draco’s tears.

Draco laughed, wiping at Harry’s tears with his thumbs. “Honestly, this is a shame.”

Harry laughed even harder, kissing Draco’s lips again. “I love you,” he said, smiling so wide, he could barely contain it.

Draco smiled just as wide, kissing him again and again. “I love you too.”


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tying up loose ends

“Why are there so many?” Harry asked incredulously.

Draco shrugged. “Considering I never responded, he probably assumed I just wasn’t getting them and kept sending more. You know Umbridge is monitoring everything that comes in and out of the castle.”

Harry sighed, sorting through all of Draco’s letters from his dad. “Some of these go back _months_ ,”

“What can I say? The man is adamant.”

Harry shook his head, opening up yet another letter. “Oh look, this one is about how he can’t wait for you to come home for the Holiday’s and meet all the new death eater members!” Harry said, pretending to be excited, before tossing it in the fire with the others.

Draco snorted as they sat together in the Room of Requirement. “This one is about my initiation ceremony he’s planning for me. But hey, he did ask me about quidditch,” he said, throwing it into the fire. “FYI, I lost that game,”

Harry laughed absentmindedly as he read over another one. “That was the game that got me banned,”

“AKA the one where you punched me in the face,”

Harry snorted. “You deserved it,”

“Did not!”

“You insulted Ron’s mum!”

“You!...yeah, I don’t have a comeback for that one...I’m sorry.”

Harry rolled his eyes, kissing Draco’s cheek. “It’s in the past. Look, in this one he asks ‘if that Potter boy’ is still causing you any trouble,”

Draco laughed. “Loads.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “As if,”

Draco shrugged, tossing the rest of is father’s letters into the fire. “I should just reply with Voldemort bad, Potter good,”

Harry laughed at that. “I’m sure if you tell him we’re dating, he’ll get the message,”

“He already wants to give you over to the Dark Lord, let’s not give him another reason to do just that,”

Harry sniffed. “Whatever. How’s your mum?”

Draco smiled. It wasn’t his usual sad smile he gives when talking about his mother, this one was a bit more bright, happier even. “She just took a trip to Italy. Saw some old friends of hers. She doesn’t get out much, so she sounded really happy,”

“I would be too,” Harry mumbled under his breath.

Draco sighed. “My father isn’t all bad you know...or at least he wasn’t,”

“Yeah, well, the only time we’ve ever interacted was when we were at the ministry and when he was dressed as one of Voldy’s minions aiding in trying to kill me. Both times were not very pleasant.”

“Sorry my family hates your guts,”

“Sorry my guts hate your family...that came out wrong,”

“No, it’s okay, I get it,”

An awkward silence began to fall over them and Harry didn’t know what to do. So instead, he said “It’s not just your family. I’m sure my aunt and uncle would throw a celebration if I ever turned up dead at their doorstep,”

Draco turned his face up at that, clearly upset. “Yeah, well, I hate your family just as much as you hate mine.”

“Oh they’re not _that_ bad. Occasionally they’ll send me a moldy sock. In fact, last year I got a moldy sock _and_ a toothpick. Honestly, I’m surprised they got me anything at all. And that was just for Christmas, they usually don’t get me anything for my Birthday.”

“Not even a cake?”

“I don’t even get a ‘happy birthday’ on my birthday, just a ‘hey! You boy! Get up and make breakfast!’”

“Better than ‘but Draco, surely a son of mine wants to follow in his father’s footsteps’,”

“At least your dad is praised. Apparently mine is perceived as a drunk who didn’t have a _real_ job.”

“Well this got really depressing,”

“How’d our lives get so messed up?”

“Fucking Voldypants,”

Harry snorted. “Hate that guy,” he said with a smile.

Draco rolled his eyes. “Don’t we all? Anyways, I’m over it,” he said, standing up and wiping off his pants. “Come on, I’m starving and dinner should be starting soon.”

Harry followed suit, standing up and brushing himself off as well. “Food sounds wonderful!”

\---

After dinner, a group of 5th years sat in the room of requirement. Ron and Blaise sat in front of the fireplace playing a game of chess, Hermione and Draco sat at a table working on their Arithmancy homework, and Pansy, Milli, and Theo were interrogating Harry about his supposed “Slytherin-ness” 

“The hat was seriously going to put you Slytherin?” Theo asked, clearly skeptical.

Harry nodded. “Yup. It was very adamant about it too,”

“Why didn't you?” Pansy asked.

Harry laughed. “I met Draco,”

Milli rolled her eyes. “Figures,”

“Imagine, The Golden Boy, in our house!”

“All the quidditch games we could have won,”

“Draco sure does ruin everything,”

“Hey!” Draco yelled. “I can still hear you!”

Pansy rolled her eyes. “Yet he doesn't listen,” she grumbled.

Draco was about to reply, but Hermione patted him on the back, stopping him. Just then, the door to the room opened, and Dean and Seamus walked in, looking disgruntled, followed by Ernie, Neville and Hannah.

“...crazy old bat.” Dean was saying as he rubbed the back of his hand.

“Can’t wait to get rid of her,” Seamus mumbled, also rubbing his hand.

Pansy frowned, looking up from where she sat on the couch. “What happened to you guys?”

“Detention with The Pink Toad, that’s what!” Dean growled. “I use _one_ spell to demonstrate a point, and suddenly I’m the bad guy!”

Draco frowned. “What are you on about?”

“These three can’t seem to keep out of trouble,” Hannah said, rolling her eyes, yet clearly concerned.

“Remember today she asked to see us after class?” Neville said.

Draco nodded, so Dean continued on. “We had been goofing off in the back of her class. So when we went to see her, she asked why we didn’t feel the need to pay attention—”

“So we told her we already knew everything.” Seamus finished. “And that’s when smarty pants here casted a spell in order to prove a point!”

“Wait, how’d you get in trouble for that?” Milli asked. “You weren’t even in class!”

“Pfft, it’s Umbridge,” Ron said.

“And besides, apparently there’s a rule about no magic in the corridor or something and she tried to use _that_ as a reason, even though we were clearly in her office and trying to prove a point,” Dean explained.

“Yeah, and in proving that point, got _me_ in trouble too!” Neville complained.

“Got _you_ in trouble? You were the one who told her we knew everything and that she ought to let up on her no magic rule!” Seamus said.

Harry laughed, causing Hermione to send him a pointed look. “Neville!”

Neville looked sheepish. “Well, what was I supposed to say?”

Hermione sighed, standing up to examine the Gryffindors. “I have something that will help with the scaring,” she said, pulling out some salve from her book bag.

“I swear I’m going to talk to her about this,” Draco mumbled, walking over to examine them as well.

Ron snorted. “And say what?”

“I don’t know, but this isn’t right!” Draco said. “She needs to be fired or something,”

“Does ‘or something’ include throwing her off a bridge?” Blaise asked hopefully.

“Or better yet, feeding her to a troll under said bridge?” Theo pipped in.

“We could just drown her,” Milli offered.

“Too obvious,” Pansy said. “We’re Slytherins, not imbeciles. We simply lead her into the Forbidden Forest and see what happens,”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Tempting, but no. I’ve a plan.”

“What are you scheming now?” Hermione asked.

Draco wore a mischievous smirk. “You'll see.”

“Gryffindors,” Ernie said. “This better be good,” Hannah commented.

Harry smiled. “That's my boyfriend,” he said proudly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Just no more pranks,”

\---

The following day, after classes, Draco sat in Umbridge’s office, pretending to sip a cup of tea as she roamed about, taking care of her various cats. “Now what is it you’ve come to see me about again, Mr. Malfoy?”

“I’ve just simple come to check in with you,” Draco answered sweetly. “Not that much has been going on.”

“Oh! Well, that’s good I suppose,” she said, seemingly caught off guard. “But, we just had an inquisitorial meeting yesterday. Is there something you want to add? Did something pop up?”

Draco shook his head. “No. Not really, you know it’s all mostly rumors anyways,” he said with a wave of his hand. “The Gryffindors are always up to something, apparently,”

“Yes, well, I can never seem to get a handle on them. _Especially_ you fifth years!”

“Pity,” Draco said, shaking his head before pretending to take another sip of tea.

“I was hoping these teacher evaluations would help weed out some of those more prone to… _defending_ said Gryffindors,” she said with a sniff, clearly referring to McGonagall. “But oh well!” she said, voice cheery again. “At least that tree professor is gone,”

Draco laughed. Partly to humor Umbridge and partly because, well, he wasn’t _too_ upset that Trelawney wasn’t teaching anymore. Granted she did still live within the castle. “I never liked her class.”

“Did anyone, dear?” she asked with a sickeningly sweet laugh. “Anyways, I’ve been giving those delinquent Gryffindors a… _special_ kind of punishment, I was hoping they’d be quite effective,”

Draco knew that the Gryffindors weren’t the only ones being forced to write lines. It was just that the other houses didn’t get into nearly as much trouble, and so really none of the other students had scars. “Well, considering the Gryffindors keep getting into trouble, their punishments must not be working,”

Umbridge looked perplex, and Draco held his breath. For someone as perceptive and on edge as her, it surprised Draco all the things she didn’t seem to catch on to. Sure, he was great at acting as if he was “working” for her, but how did she _not_ know he’s currently dating the head of Gryffindor? Or that he’s been behind him pretty much this whole time? Maybe she was just ignoring the fact, or thought Malfoy was some sort of double spy, but she never mentioned it once. Draco did “tell” on or report whenever the Gryffindors misbehaved or stepped out of line. Most of the time though, they were lies and just excuses he came up with to keep on her good side. That, and they could never actually prove the Gryffindors were doing what they were falsely accused of, and therefore never got in trouble for it. McGonagall helped a lot with that as well, as she had no problems standing up for her house or to Umbridge.

“You could be right,” she conceded. “Tell me Mr. Malfoy, what would _you_ do if you had to punish them, hmm?”

Draco pretended to look around the room, thinking of an answer, before shrugging nonchalantly. “I don’t know. Make them clean after your cats? You know Professor Snape makes _his_ students clean up the trophy room without using magic. Do you see many people in detention with him?’

Umbridge hummed. “You’ve a point, I’ll admit. They could feed them, bathe and groom them. Even clean my lovely little plates until they sparkle!” she said with a gleam.

Draco fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Exactly. Maybe they could even redecorate. You know, repaint the walls…” he meant it as a joke, but Umbridge was taking him way too seriously.

“Yes, maybe a brighter pink? Or better yet, paint actual cats on the walls!”

Draco tried to hide his distaste. “I don’t see why not,”

“See?” she said, walking up behind Draco and squeezing his shoulder. “This is why you’re one of my favorites,”

Draco was about to respond, hoping she didn’t notice the shudder that ran through his body, when there was a rather urgent knock on the door.

Umbridge turned. “Yes, who’s there? Come in, come in!”

The door swung open and in came McGonagall looking slightly disheveled. “Dolores, I need you to come with me,”

Umbridge frowned. “Why, whatever is the matter, Minerva?”

“It’s Dumbledore,” McGonagall said calmly, yet with a sense of urgency. “He’s leaving,”

“Leaving?” Umbridge gave a confused little laugh. “Why, whatever do you mean?”

“Please come with me and I will explain.” McGonagall said, before turning to Draco. “Mr. Malfoy, if you would excuse us please?” although it wasn’t really a question.

Draco nodded. “Of course, professor.” he said, following the two out of the room. While they professors made their way towards the Headmaster’s office, Draco ran straight for Gryffindor Tower.

\---

“Come on, mate!” Ron complained. “I wanna eat!”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Just go on without us!” she chided, trying to finish up her Astronomy chart. “We’ll be down in a second,” Harry called from the top of the stairs. He had gone and played an impromptu game of quidditch and was changing into a different set of clothes.

“I’ll go down with you,” Neville said as he hopped off the couch. Ron sighed, clearly exasperated, but nodded in agreement as he and Neville made their way out the portrait hole.

“Go on without me, Mione, I’ll be okay!” Harry said after a minute. He figured the common room had to be clear of people by now, and he hated making her wait for him.

Hermione sighed, finishing the last of her work, before putting it aside. “You sure?”

“Yeah! I’ll only be a minute,”

“Alright, don’t be too long!” she called as she packed up her stuff, scratched Crookshanks behind the ears, and then made her way down to dinner.

Harry sighed, finally finding a decent looking clean shirt and pulling it on. He quickly threw on a pair of shoes, trying to tie the laces, when he heard footsteps running up the staircases. “Ron, I told you to—”

“Harry, we gotta go!” Draco said, slightly out of breath.

“Wait, Draco? What are you—”

“There’s no time!” Draco said, grabbing Harry’s arm and urging him up. “We gotta go!” he said before running out of the room.

Harry blinked a few times, rubbing his arm a bit. “Draco, I—”

“Don’t forget you’re cloak!”

\---

“Where are we going?” Harry asked as he and Draco walked as fast as they could while under his cloak.

“Headmaster’s office,” Draco said. “McGonagall came looking for Umbridge and said that Dumbledore had left,”

“What? And gone where?”

“Don’t know, Potter, that’s what we’re trying to figure out!”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Less sass, more information. What exactly did McGonagall say?”

“Not much, but I could tell it was serious. Come on, we’re almost there,”

The two made their way around the corner and to the gargoyle, where Harry muttered the password for the two of them to enter into the spiral staircase. Once the two got up to the top, they both pressed their ears to the door, hoping to be able to make out any sounds. Harry made sure they were safely under the invisibility cloak incase anyone decided to come up or go back down.

“...said something about going to check on the Minister,” they could hear McGonagall saying.

“So he just up and left?” Umbridge asked. “Ridiculous!”

“Not if he had a good reason to leave,” they could hear Snape say. “Surely, whatever business he has with the Minister must be highly important.”

“And we are to just leave… _her_ in charge?” McGonagall sounded in disbelief.

“I can assure you, Minevera, that I am capable of doing my job, and that of the HeadMistress. Shall I remind you that I _was_ indeed sent here by the ministry in the first place? Hmm?” Umbridge stated, clearly not happy with Dumbledore’s actions, but happy to take over nonetheless.

“I fear we have no choice in the matter,” Snape said, completely ignoring Umbridge. “These are the rules we have been instructed to follow. Unfortunately, we have no clue as to when Dumbledore may return.”

“Well, what could have been so urgent?” McGonagall continued. “I mean, he didn’t give us any warnings! He just...vanished!”

“I’m sure the Minister had good reason to summon him,” Umbridge said. “And he knows that the school will be safe in my hands,”

“Shall I remind you—!” McGonagall began.

“Minerva, settle down,” Snape said. “All will be answered and taken care of,”

“This isn’t good,” Harry whispered to Draco.

“I figured you’d say that,” he replied.

“I just...have a weird feeling…”

Draco frowned. “You okay?”

“Yeah, it’s not my scar or anything.” Harry paused, thinking for a minute. “I just...something feels off. Call it my intuition, but something just isn’t adding up. I mean, McGonagall has a point, why would he just leave?”

“I must be getting back to my office,” Snape said. His footsteps could be heard coming closer. “I’ve loads of essays to grade.”

“We gotta go,” Draco said, and the two made a dash down the stairs.


	30. Chapter 30

“There’s no need to freak out,” Draco was saying. Dinner was almost over, but the two figured they had just enough time to fix themselves a plate before they had to head back to their dorms.

“I’m not freaking out, I’m just worried is all,” Harry tried to explain. “Nothing good ever happens when Dumbledore leaves the castle…”

The two made it to the dinning hall just in time. Draco placed a quick kiss on Harry’s cheek before heading towards the Slytherin table, Harry doing the same as he took his usual spot across from Ron and Hermione.

“Where have you been!” Hermione asked as soon as he had taken a seat. “You said a minute! It’s been nearly an hour!”

Ron nodded, his mouth full of chicken.

Harry sighed, fixing himself a plate as he spoke. “Long story, but basically after you left, Draco came storming into the room, demanding we go to Dumbledore’s office. Turns out he’s gone,”

Ron swallowed, frowning. “Gone? What do you mean gone?”

“As in not here.” Harry said. “He’s been summoned to the ministry apparently.”

“For?” Hermione asked.

“That’s the thing, isn’t it?” Harry said, letting them see his concern. “Nobody knows, and now Umbridge is in charge until he comes back. We overheard McGonagall and Snape say so,”

“Well that’s not good,” Ron said, continuing to eat. “What are we supposed to do now?”

“Nothing!” Hermione said. “What is there for us to do? We can’t do anything. Besides, we aren’t in any danger,”

“Yeah, but...something just feels off,”

“That’s a good enough sign for me,” Ron said. “Clearly we need to do something.”

“We aren’t doing anything,” Hermione tried to reason. “You both are just overreacting.”

“Aren’t you the least bit concerned about this?” Harry asked.

“Well, sure, but like I said, we can’t do anything about it,” she said. “Besides, I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. Dumbledore knows what he’s doing. Can’t we just trust him?”

“And how well has that worked out in the past?” Harry countered.

“Look, I don’t want to fight with you, but hear me out.” Hermione started again. “Dumbledore is gone and Umbridge is in charge. We don’t have any idea as to what’s going on or why he left. We have no reason to take any action, besides an uneasy feeling. I’d be more concerned if your scar was hurting, but you seem perfectly fine to me. And besides, professor Snape and professor McGonagall know what they’re doing, and I trust them fully,”

“Since when do you trust Snape?” Ron asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Not the point, Ron,”

“So what, we just sit here and do nothing?” Harry asked.

“Exactly,” Hermione said, pushing her plate away and standing up to leave. “It’s all we can do,”

“Well,” Ron said, standing as well. “I don’t like it either, but she does have a point,”

Harry sighed, standing as well. “Alright, I’ll let it go. But I’m still not completely onboard with this do nothing plan,”

“Of course not, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from you,” Hermione lightly teased as the group made their way out of the dinning hall.

\---

As the three Gryffindors sat together in the common room, Draco appeared through the portrait hole. He didn’t say anything as he walked over to Harry, who was staring blankly ahead into the fireplace. Hermione sat behind them on the couch, petting Crookshanks, while Ron sat next to her, flipping through a quidditch magazine.

Draco sat down behind his boyfriend, wrapping him into his arms. Harry immediately relaxed into the embrace, letting out a sigh as he allowed himself to lean back, laying down in Draco’s lap. Draco gave him a warm smile as he began to play with his hair. Harry smiled back, tilting his head up. Draco’s smile widened as he leaned down and kissed him.

Hermione shook her head, but she was smiling. “You two are adorable,”

Draco smirked, continuing to play with Harry’s hair. “We know,”

Harry closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of Draco’s hands running through his thick curls. Draco laughed softly. “I think he’s falling asleep,”

Harry peeked an eye open. “Am not,” he said, closing his eye again. “Just resting,”

“Hmm,” was Draco’s only response.

Harry wasn’t trying to fall asleep, but he felt so warm wrapped up in Draco’s arms, and he loved the rhythmic movement of Draco’s hand combing through his hair, the way his nails would lightly scratch his scalp. Harry couldn’t hold back his yawn, causing Draco to laugh again.

“It’s okay,” he said, leaning down to kiss Harry’s forehead. “Sleep love,”

Harry smiled at the endearment. “Okay,” he said, subcomming to the darkness.

\---

_Harry found himself once again standing in the ministry, outside of that mysterious blue door. Finally, he’s able to walk through the door, into a room full of shelves filled with glass spheres. His heart was beating fast as he walked through the room, turning the corner to find a dark figure laying on the floor. Harry’s stomach started to twist. Without thinking, Harry raised his hand, casting “crucio!”, starting to laugh as the man on the floor started to scream, writhing uncontrollably. After a few moments, he lowered his hand, stopping the curse, causing the man to groan, becoming motionless._

_“Lord Voldemort is waiting,” he said in a high, cold pitched voice._

_Very slowly, his arms trembling, the man on the ground raised his shoulders a few inches and lifted his head. His face was bloodstained and gaunt, twisted in pain yet rigid with defiance._

_“You’ll have to kill me,” whispered Sirius._

_“Undoubtedly I shall in the end,” said the cold voice. “You think you have felt pain thus far? Think again…. We have hours ahead of us and nobody to hear you scream,” he said, before once again casting the curse._

_As Harry’s laughs grew louder, so did Sirius’ screams…_

\---

“... do something!” Draco was shouting.

“He won’t wake up!” Hermione responded in a panic. “I don’t know what to do!”

Draco was trying to hold Harry still as he wouldn’t stop twisting and shaking. He’d fallen asleep peacefully one minute, and the next he’d started convulsing and screaming. “What’s happening to him?” Draco asked, clearly terrified.

“He’s having another vision.” Ron said, standing over them. “He’ll wake up any second now,”

“How do you—” but the question went unfinished as suddenly Harry jerked forward, eyes wide open, his breathing heavy.

“Harry!” Hermione said, grabbing onto Harry’s shoulders before he could fall over.

“Are you okay?” Draco asked, hugging his boyfriend tight.

Harry groaned, his scar on fire as he pressed his hand to his forehead. “Voldemort has Sirius.”

“ _What?_ ”

“I saw it. We have to go,” he continued, trying to stand, but Draco wouldn’t let him. “In the Department of Mysteries, there’s a room filled with glass balls… Sirius is in there, and Voldemort is torturing him. There’s something in the room he wants and he thinks Sirius can give it to him,” he explained, trying once again to stand, but to no avail. “Draco!” he yelled. “He’s going to kill him!” he said, his voice shaking. “We need to go!”

Ron blinked a few times. “Go...where?”

“To the Department of Mysteries to rescue Sirius!”

“Are you out your mind?” Draco said, still holding Harry. “We can’t go there!”

“Why the bloody hell not?” Harry yelled. “We have to save him!”

“Harry, listen to yourself,” Hermione tried to reason, but was just as fearful as everyone else. “How could Voldemort have possibly gotten into the Ministry? It’s got to be full of workers, surely someone would have noticed them. They’re two of the most wanted criminals, they couldn’t sneak through a whole department of aurors, now could they?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care! We have to go!”

“But it’s impractical!” Hermione shouted back.

“How do you explain Ron’s dad then?” Harry shot back

“He has a point,” Ron said, quietly.

“But it’s unlikely!” Hermione persisted. “And your dad works at the ministry! Sirius is at Grmnnn,” she stopped, looking confused, before realizing Draco was the problem. “Oh for Merlin’s sake! Sirius is in hiding, how could Voldemort possibly find him!”

“Maybe he went out for some fresh air,” Ron said, becoming even more worried.

“But why would Voldemort want Sirius?” Draco asked, frowning.

“I don’t know!” Harry said, becoming frantic.

“Harry, stop and listen!” Draco yelled. “You always run head first into everything. We know you want to save the world, but you can’t just keep blindly running into danger!”

Harry scowled, rounding on Draco now. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“We have no proof Sirius and Voldemort are even together,” Draco started. “And everytime someone gets into trouble, you have to leap into action!”

“But Sirius—”

“You can’t always be the bloody hero!” Draco yelled.

“You did the same thing last year with Fleur’s sister,” Hermione said. “And this is exactly how Voldemort got you last time, leading Ginny into the Chamber of Secrets! Voldemort knows you, he’s playing tricks on you!” she said, trying to get it through to him. “What if he’s trying to set you up?”

“What’s it matter?” Harry bellowed. “Dumbledore is gone! We can’t to go Umbridge! We have to go!”

“What about McGonagall? Or Snape?” Ron tried to reason. “They’re in the Order, maybe they can—”

“You guys don’t get it!” Harry continued. “These aren’t just dreams or nightmares! They’re real! And if you think that I’m just going to sit here—”

“What’s going on?” Ginny asked, coming down the stairs, followed by Neville.

“Nothing,” Harry bit out.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. “No need to be so rude. We heard yelling, so we came to see what was wrong,”

“And Draco’s here, so there must be something wrong,” Neville said.

“Well, it doesn’t matter, since you two can’t help us anyways,”

Ginny frowned, opening her mouth to retort, but Hermione answered before she could. “Wait! Harry they _can_ help us,”

Harry frowned. “How are they—”

“We need proof that Sirius is missing,” Hermione said quickly, not wanting to upset Harry any further. “We could use them to see of Sirius is actuall miss—”

“He’s being tortured now!” he started again. “We can’t waste any time!”

“Harry, come on!” Draco said, worried Harry was going to escape his grip. “Let us go check and see if he’s home. If not, then we won’t ask anymore questions. We’ll get you into London, whatever it takes so that you can get to Sirius, I promise!”

“We just don’t want it to be a trick and then we run into V-v—Voldemort,” Ron said.

Harry slumped back into Draco’s arms, but he clearly wasn't happy. “You promise?” Draco nodded firmly. “How?” he demanded.

“Umbridge’s Floo system,” Ginny said. “We can cause a distracting,”

“Alright, so, me and Harry will go floo call Sirius—”

“He’s not going to answer!”

“Someone will go find and distract Umbridge,” Hermione pressed, ignoring Harry’s outburst. “Tell her peeves is up to something or some other excuse,”

“I’ll do it,” Ron said.

“Ginny and Neville, you’ll be our lookouts.”

They both nodded in agreement, only understanding half of what was going on.

“And me?” Draco asked.

Hermione smiled. “You’re job is to keep him calm. And you know, make sure he doesn’t do anything a ‘stupid Gryffindor’ would,”

Harry glared daggers, but Draco only smirked. “You’ve got it,”

\---

The group of six was hurriedly making their way down the halls towards Umbridge’s office when three Slytherins approached them.

“Draco, there you are!” Pansy said, lightly scolding him. “You said you’d be right back! And then you never came back!”

“What’s with the Gryffindor squad?” Theo asked.

Harry growled. “I don’t have time for this!” and then he was storming down the hall, followed by Ron and Hermione,

“Well, uh, catch up with you down there,” Neville said and he and Ginny quickly followed after them.

Pansy frowned. “Who put a stick up his arse?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “It’s a long story. Can you guys do me a favor?”

“That serious, huh?” Blaise asked, looking only slightly surprised. “What do you need?”

“I’ve a feeling Harry has a plan to do something highly idiotic,” Draco said, with a heavy sigh. “Can you have Snape meet us outside of Umbridge’s office?” he knew it was drastic, and that Harry would kill him for breaking his promise, but he needed to do _something_. “Just...just tell him it’s Order business, he’ll understand,”

The three Slytherins looked confused, but all nodded anyways. “If we get in trouble, I swear to Morgana and Circe I will hurt you in so many ways, you’d wish I’d had used an unforgivable!” Pansy threatened as she stormed off. “Come on you two!” she called, snapping her fingers, causing the two boys to run after her.

Draco laughed. “Only Pansy,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of this comes directly out of OotP, so don't sue me :)


	31. Chapter 31

Ron found Umbridge easily enough and was able to get her away from her office. “.... Peeves on the second floor messing with a bunch of second years….the poor Hufflepuffs… can’t defend themselves….”

As it was after dinner and getting close to curfew, there weren’t a whole lot of students milling around as Ginny took to one end of the hall, and Neville the other, keeping a lookout for Umbridge. Harry and Hermione had managed to sneak inside her office while Ron lead her away. Now Hermione stood guard by the door while Harry made the floo call to Grimmauld Place.

“Sirius?” he called out. “Sirius!” his voice echoed throughout the room, but nobody answered. “Sirius, are you there? Lupin!”

There was nothing but the sounds of tiny scraping against the floor. “Who’s there?” Harry called out.

Suddenly, Kreacher popped into view. Both his hands were heavily bandaged, but he looked entirely too gleeful to have just received any punishments. “The Potter boy appears inside of mysterious green flames,” Kreacher muttered. “Kreacher wonders what it is he is doing?”

“Kreacher, where’s Sirius?” Harry demanded.

Kreacher began to laugh. “Kreacher does not know. Master has left,”

“ _Left?_ Kreacher, where is he?!”

Kreacher started laughing even harder.

Harry growled. “Kreacher, I’m warning you! Where is everyone, Sirius, Lupin, Mad Eye, Tonks? Where are they!”

“Only Kreacher, Harry Potter!” he replied gleefully. “Kreacher goes to meet Mistress now,” he said, starting to walk away from Harry and out the kitchen. “Yes, Kreacher has been wanting to see her, but Master keeps Kreacher away! But not anymore—”

“Kreacher, where’s Sirius!” Harry yelled. “Is he at the Department of Mysteries?”

Kreacher stopped, and Harry could just barely see the top of his head. “Master did not tell Kreacher where he be going,”

“But you know!” Harry yelled back. “You know where he is! Kreacher, tell me!”

There was a moment of silence, and then Kreacher gave his loudest laugh yet. “Master is never coming back! Kreacher and Mistress will be together at last!” and then he stopped laughing and said, “And the Potter boy will be next!” before disappearing out of the kitchen.

“Come back here, you—”

But he couldn’t say anything else as he was being dragged out of the fireplace. He started coughing from all of the ash he had inhaled, blinking his eyes a few times.

“Someone is coming!” Hermione said, brushing Harry off. “We gotta go!”

Harry went to grab his invisibility cloak just as Snape entered into the room, followed by Neville and Ginny. “And just what do you think you two are up to?” he asked.

Hermione and Harry both froze in place.

“Four Gryffindors out of bed this late at night?” Snape began. “And just past curfew, what a shame. 50 points from each of you. Now, come along,” he said, turning around and stalking out of the room.

Harry looked deflated. “We can’t—”

“Do we have a choice?” Hermione hissed as she followed behind Ginny and Neville.

Ahead of them in the hallway was Draco, talking quietly to Snape. Harry gave the two a weird look, but neither would turn around to look at him. And each time he’d contemplate making a run for it, either Hermione would stop him, or Snape would mutter “Don’t even think about it, Potter.”

It didn’t take long for the group to realize that Snape was leading them down to the dungeons. Why, nobody knew, but Harry wasn’t too concerned about that right now. All he knew was that he needed to get to Sirius.

Once they got down there, Snape muttered the password, and ushered everyone inside of the Slytherin common room. Only Blaise and Pansy were in the room, as Theo had escorted everyone else out, including a curious Mili and Daphne who they assured they would tell them everything once they themselves figured out the whole story.

“You two stay here,” Snape said, indicating to Harry and Hermione. “Weasley and Longbottom, you’re stuck with me,”

The two immediately turned pale, but Snape left no room for arguing, so they followed him out the doorway. Before the door closed behind them, Snape turned back around and smirked. “Oh, and Draco, if the Gryffindors give you anymore trouble, just send for me again,” and then he was gone.

Harry immediately turned towards Draco, giving him his most intense death glare.

“So!” Pansy said, standing up and clapping her hands together. “Anybody care to explain what’s going on here?”

“And what happened to your Weasel?” Blaise asked.

Hermione sighed. “It’s a long story,”

“I think we have quite a bit of time,” Pansy said.

“No,” Harry muttered. “We don’t,”

“Harry, I—” Hermione began.

“No!” Harry yelled. “No one is listening to me! Sirius is in trouble, and I’m stuck here serving, what? Some kind of Slytherin detention?”

“Harry—” Draco began.

“You don’t get to talk to me!” Harry yelled, rounding on Draco. “You told Snape?”

“Technically, I did.” Pansy said. 

“I told her to do it,” Draco said. “I knew that if Sirius wasn’t home, you’d try to—”

“What? Save him? Draco, you _promised_ me!”

“I promised that we’d get you to Sirius,” Draco clarified. “This is the only way,”

“By being locked down here!” Harry continued. “Thanks, Malfoy, you’ve been such a great help!”

“Oh, so it’s back to Malfoy?” he sneered.

“It is when you’re being an arse!”

“Guys, come on.” Hermione tried.

“What exactly was your plan here, Potter? To sneak out of the school and do what? Catch the Hogwarts Express? We can’t floo anywhere! We can’t apparate anywhere!”

“Not anymore! You’ve just blown our only shot!”

“And what about Ron? Do you even care about him?” Draco asked.

“I care that Sirius is in trouble, and that we’re stuck here unable to do anything about it!”

“Harry, maybe this is for the best,” Hermione said, timidly.

“And I’m so sick and tired of the two of you ganging up on me!”

“This isn’t a game of quidditch,” Draco yelled. “This isn’t about picking favorites or taking sides! Voldemort is trying to _kill you!_ Maybe Sirius is in trouble, but what happens if you go and get yourself killed, huh? Then what!”

“Can someone _please_ tell us what is going on?” Pansy bellowed over all the yelling.

Draco sighed, pinching the brim of his nose. “Since Potter here refuses to cooperate, Hermione, do you mind?”

She shook her head. “Come on, let’s go sit,”

\---

“So, Snape is part of the Order?” Pansy clarified.

“Yeah, and so is McGonagall,” Hermione said.

“And you’re all a part of it?” Blaise asked.

“Not me,” Draco said. “I’ve never even really heard of it. I knew Snape was a part of something, but he never really talks about it,”

“Well, he can’t really, can he?” Hermione said. “We’re all sworn to secrecy. We can’t even tell you where headquarters is, even if we wanted to—and trust me we do. It be a whole lot easier if you knew,”

Draco frowned, thinking. “Well, I could always join, right?”

Harry scoffed. “Says the guy who turned us in,”

“Oh, honestly Harry!” Hermione said. “Yes, you can join. The Secret Keeper tells you where headquarters is, and then you’re pretty much in. Obviously, though, Dumbledore doesn’t tell just anyone,”

“Dumbledore is Secret Keeper?” Pansy asked.

“He’ll never let me join then,” Draco said, frowning again.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Sure he will. Besides, you couldn’t tell where we are, even if you wanted to. And I highly doubt you’d tell all of our secrets,”

“Did he not just tell Snape on us!” Harry shouted again.

“That was me!” Pansy said, clearly enjoying this way too much. “I mean seriously, give a girl some credit,”

“I did it for your own good,” Draco said. “Stop complaining, Potter, the adults are trying to have a conversation,”

Blaise snorted at that, causing Harry to send daggers his way.

“Anyways, I’m sure you’ll be hanging out with us over the summer,” Hermione continued. “Which means you're bound to end up at Grrrnnmph—oh!—headquarters anyways! See? It’s actually quite annoying.”

“You’re gonna hang out with Granger and Weasley?” Pansy teased. “How cute!”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Beats staying at home with Father.”

Pansy waved a hand at him. “No need to tell me twice. I personally plan to spend my summer hols with the Greengrasses. Me and Daphne have grown pretty close, and her family is one of the few Pureblooded families around here who aren’t Dark Lord supporters, despite them all being from a long generation of Slytherins. But then again, what pureblood family isn’t?”

Hermione coughed, and Pansy rolled her eyes. “No offense. Obviously the Weasley’s, Potter’s, and so on are all long lines of Gryffindors, but you don’t really see Pureblood families like ours who are Slytherin and _don’t_ support good old Voldy.”

“She’s got a point,” Draco said. “Me and Pansy could get into a lot of trouble if our parents found out what we’ve been up to all year,”

Pansy snorted. “You mean you dating the Golden Boy hasn’t leaked out into the _Daily Prophet_ yet?”

Draco laughed. “No, not yet,”

“I give it till February,” Blaise said.

Draco frowned. “Why then?”

Pansy snorted. “Valentine’s Day of course! I say it gets leaked in the middle of summer,”

“It’ll totally get out in May,” Hermione laughed. “They’ll be playing quidditch or something and it’ll get leaked out.”

The group of four laughed while Harry hung off to the side, glaring.

\---

Hermione had fallen asleep on the couch next to Pansy, both covered up in warm blankets. Blaise sat at a desk off to the side doing schoolwork, and Draco and Harry sat in armchairs opposite one another just glaring at each other.

Finally giving in, Draco sighed, standing up and walking over to Harry. “We need to talk,” he said, extending out his hand.

Harry glared at it, but mumbled, “fine,” as he grasped it.

Draco led them over to the fireplace where they could sit and talk together without disturbing anyone. The two just stared silently into the flames, Draco more so just trying to gather his thoughts. He knew Harry was simply just sitting there ignoring him. “You know I had to do it,”

“No, I don’t know that,”

“So, what, now we’re just not going to talk?”

“We’re talking now, aren’t we?”

“Are we seriously going to have a fight every time we disagree on something?”

“You promised you’d take me to Sirius, and yet here we are. I’m not mad that you told Snape. I’m mad that you broke a promise, specifically a promise you made that you _knew_ you weren’t going to keep,”

“I _am_ trying to get you to Sirius,” Draco said. “And you storming into the Ministry and demanding answers in your typical Gryffindor fashion is not the answer,”

“And this is better?”

“Yes,” Draco said calmly. “Snape is taking care of it. Like Hermione said, there really isn’t anything we can do. Besides,” Draco paused, looking down to study his hands. “don’t you trust me?”

Harry’s head snapped up at that. He could hear the hesitance in Draco’s voice and automatically felt guilty. “Of course I trust you,” Harry said, wrapping an arm around Draco’s shoulder. “More than anything,”

Drco snorted. “You sure haven’t been acting like it.” he tried to play it off, but it was clear that he was hurt.

Harry frowned, moving his other hand to tilt Draco’s head up. “Draco, I may be highly upset right now, but that doesn’t mean I look at you any differently.”

“But if you trusted me, then you’d believe me when I tell you that I know what I’m doing,” Draco said, brushing a stray hair out of Harry’s face. “I wouldn’t have made Pansy get Snape if I didn’t think it was necessary. And if I thought that going directly to the ministry was what was best, then I would have fully supported it. But I know how you are, and you were scaring poor Hermione to death,” Harry winced at that, and Draco gave him a sort of sad smile. “Do you see where I’m coming from? What was I supposed to say?”

Harry sighed, leaning his head against Draco’s. “I’m sorry,”

Draco gave him a real smile, kissing his nose. “I thought we agreed no more fighting,”

Harry gave a tiny smile of his own. “Can’t help it. You make me so bloody mad sometimes,”

Draco snorted. “Oh, and you’re any better?”

“You know you love me,” Harry teased, his smile reaching his eyes.

Draco laughed, pulling Harry closer. “More than anything,” he said before kissing him.

Harry sighed into the kiss, wrapping both arms around Draco’s waist, while Draco wrapped his arms around Harry’s neck. “I am sorry though,” Harry said in between kisses.

“Hmm, I forgive you,” Draco said, kissing him back.

Harry smiled, pulling Draco closer.

“Oi! I’m still here!” Blaise complained.

Draco pulled back from the kiss, groaning. “Must you ruin everything?”

“Don’t you have a room upstairs?”

“Yes, _we_ do. You should use it sometime.”

Harry laughed, kissing Draco’s cheek. “We’ll behave!”

“I’m not making any promises,” Draco grumbled, resting his head against Harry's shoulder.

The Gryffindor laughed. “Such a grumpy Dragon,”

“He started it!”

Harry didn’t say anything, only continued laughing as he began to pet Draco’s hair. Blaise didn’t bother them after that, and soon enough, Draco had fallen asleep against Harry’s chest, listening to his heartbeat.

\---

What felt like days to Harry, ended up only being a few long hours before finally Snape returned back to the Slytherin common room. Unfortunately, everyone had fallen asleep, Blaise at his desk and Draco and Harry cuddled up together in one of the armchairs. However, after Snape loudly cleared his throat and announced his presence, everyone was wide awake. 

“Malfoy, Potter, and Granger, come with me,” he said, before exiting out of the room again.

The three of them shared a look, the other two Slytherins only looking slightly offended for being left out, before the two of them made their way out the common room as well, back up to their dorm rooms. The others followed behind Snape, no one daring to say a word. Snape led the students back to his office, ushering them inside where Ron was already there waiting for them.

“Ron!” Harry and Hermione shouted as they ran over and hugged him.

“What happened to you?” Hermione asked.

“I’m so sorry we left you!” Harry said.

“I’m fine you two!” Ron answered. “I went off with Umbridge, who after realizing Peeves wasn’t doing anything, escorted me back to Gryffindor tower, before going off to do her rounds. We saw Snape on the way over, so I figured it wasn’t safe to come back out and follow,” he said. “But then Neville and Ginny came back, and they told me everything! I begged Snape to let me come and see you guys, but instead, I’ve just been stuck in his office,” he said with a shrug. “But we’ve got good news!”

“What’s that?” Hermione asked.

“Harry!”

Everyone turned around to see Lupin standing in the doorway. He came rushing in, pulling Harry into a tight hug.

“Oh! Hi Lupin,” Harry said. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”

“Same reason you are, Potter,” Snape said from the doorway.

“We got a message saying you were in danger,” Lupin began. “So, naturally we—”

“Harry!” came Tonks voice as she entered inside. “Oh, thank goodness you’re okay!”

“What? Yeah, I’m fine, but what about—”

“I’m right here,” came Sirius’ familiar voice.

Harry ran past the crowd of people starting to form as he embraced Sirius in a tight hug. “What are you doing here! I thought—”

“We got a message that something was wrong and that you were gone—”

“But I thought you were—”

“At the Ministry? We were, the whole Order was,”

“But Kreacher said!—”

“It was all a trap,” Sirius said. “We got there, and you were nowhere to be seen. Then all of a sudden, we were surrounded by death eaters! We took em all out of course, but then we started wondering—”

“Where I was? I’ve been here the whole time!”

“Well now we know that,” Sirius said, smiling. “And Dumbledore came and found us of course. Word had gotten to the Minister that You—Know—Who is back. Course he didn’t believe it, but then all these death eaters started popping up and he didn’t know what to do. So, obviously, he summoned Dumbledore over to investigate—”

“And that’s where we come in,” Lupin said. “Dumbledore is back and is currently talking to Mad Eye and Shacklebolt.”

“Minerva is also with them,” Snape said. “I believe they are trying to figure out a plan of action for Sirius, considering he is a wanted criminal, who was spotted by several people while on this mission...”

Harry’s smile faded into a frown. “But you can’t go! You just—”

“I’ll be fine, kid,” Sirius said, ruffling up Harry’s hair. “Dumbledore’s got me covered.”

“Told you he’d be okay,” Draco said, walking over to Harry, a huge smirk on his face.

Harry turned to him, his smile returning. “I fucking love you,” he said, pulling Draco in and kissing him hard.

Sirius burst out into laughter, Hermione rolled her eyes, Ron had a grossed out look on his face, Tonks let out a squeal of surprise, and Lupin just shook his head, although he was clearly amused. Snape cleared his throat rather loudly.

Harry pulled away, leaving Draco gasping for air. “Merlin, warn me next time!”

Harry laughed, turning back to Sirius. “He stopped me from rushing into the ministry to find you,”

“Well, it’s a good thing too! Was a huge battle, we’re lucky we all got out of there alive,”

Harry smiled, pulling his Godfather in for another hug.

“I hate to interrupt the happy reunion,” came Dumbledore’s voice. “But I must ask for you all to join me in my office, if you will,”


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long :) this is the first full length story I've ever finished, so I'm feeling pretty proud of myself.

“.... So, therefore, it has been decided that Sirius will go back into hiding,” Dumbledore said.

Most gave a sigh of relief to that. “It’s for the best, huh kid?” Sirius said.

Harry gave him a sad smile. “I wish you didn’t have to go,”

“Oh, I’ll be alright. Besides, I’ve got Moony here to keep me company.”

Lupin started to blush, and when Sirius sent him a playful wink, he started coughing uncontrollably.

Harry started laughing. “How long have you two…”

“Since before you were even born!” Sirius said, ruffling Harry’s hair.

“He’s not kidding,” Tonks said with a laugh of her own. “I mean, since like...before _your_ parents were even together, they were a thing,”

Harry smiled at that. “That’s a really long time,”

“Feels like only yesterday,” Sirius said wistfully.

Harry looked over at Draco who was talking to Hermione across the room. He looked over at Harry and smiled. “Yeah… I know what you mean,” Harry said, waving to Draco, who rolled his eyes, but waved back.

Sirius laughed, pulling Harry tight. “I can’t believe you two are seriously together. How did this happen again? You aren’t under a love potion, are you?”

Harry laughed, shaking his head. “No, no love potions. Here, let’s sit, it’s actually a bit of a long story…”

\---

After the whole Ministry incident, things have been going a lot smoother at Hogwarts. Minus Umbridge, things had started to wind down, and with Dumbledore back in charge, the students felt a lot more at ease. January passed by in a blur, and now Valentine’s Day was just around the corner, which meant more trips to Hogsmeade.

“But I want to _go!_ ” Draco complained.

“Almost done…” Harry said, finishing his letter to Sirius. Ever since he went back into hiding, Harry has been a lot more persistent in sending owls to both Lupin and Sirius at least once a week. Most times though, it was usually one every other day as they were usually replies, and they were now sending their mail through Dumbledore so that Umbridge couldn’t find it and destroy it.

“Done!” Harry said, passing his letter to Hedwig who politely nipped at his fingers. “Alright, let’s go,” he said, grabbing Draco’s hand and leading him towards the castle's entrance.

\---

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” Harry said cheerfully, as he sat on Draco’s bed and handed him a card and a box of chocolates. 

Draco smiled widely. “My favorite!” he said as he set them aside to read the card.

_Dear Dragon,_

_I don’t even know where to start without sounding completely stupid. This past year has been insane, and had you told me a year ago, we’d end up together, I would have thought you were hit upside the head by a bludger! But, here we are, and I couldn’t be happier. You always make me feel so many different emotions. You had me convinced that I absolutely hated you, when in reality, I’m so in love with you, sometimes I don’t even know what to do with myself. Okay, that’s super cheesy, but it’s true. Even though we still fight constantly, and you’ll never not be Malfoy, you’re my Malfoy and that makes me love you even more._

_Yours Always,_

_Harry_

Draco put the letter down, smiling. “Come here, you romantic git,”

Harry smiled, falling into Draco’s lap as he pulled him in for a kiss. “Sorry, I’m not a poet,” Harry laughed.

Draco rolled his eyes. “It’s from you, and it’s perfect,”

“So, where’s my gift?”

“I thought I was your gift?” Draco teased.

“Oh, haha, you’re so funny,”

Draco laughed, summoning Harry’s present and handing it to him.

Harry smiled. It was a green stuffed dragon with grey eyes, and Draco had stuck his card in between it’s arms. “It’s so cute!”

Draco rolled his eyes, but he was blushing. “It’s whatever. Just something for you to look at so you’ll remember me,”

Harry snorted, kissing Draco. “As if I could ever forget you,” he said, pulling out the envelope and opening up the card.

_Potter,_

_Let me first start by saying that I never intended for any of this to happen. I’ve always had a thing for you, but I figured we would pretty much just spend the rest of our Hogwarts years (or possibly the rest of our lives) pretending as though we hated each other. Pansy used to get so sick of me always going on and on about how you’ll never notice me in “that way” and how we’ll never be anything more than just strictly enemies. I think she misses those days, because now all I ever talk about is…_

_How much I love you…_

_Bleh! Anyways, I still can’t stand your face half the time, but at least now whenever you say something idiotic, I can kiss you instead of having the urge to punch your face. Not that I ever would. But you never know… I’m kidding! Potter… Harry… after all that we’ve been through, I just want you to know that I really do love you, and no matter what, I will always be by your side. You’re my best friend, and the closer we become, the more I realize that I don’t want to lose you. So I promise that no matter what, through the happiest of times and through the darkest of times, I will always be there for you. You and me until the end._

_Forever yours,_

_Draco_

Harry put the card down, trying to hold back his emotions. “That was way better than mine,”

Draco laughed, pulling Harry back down for another kiss. Harry smiled into it, wrapping his arms around Draco’s neck. “You are amazing,” he whispered against his lips.

Draco smiled. “I know,”

Harry laughed. “And insufferable,”

“I’ve heard that one two,”

“Draco!”

“What?”

“Shut up,”

Draco’s smile turned into a smirk as he pulled Harry down for another kiss.

\---

“Happy Birthday Ron!” the room bellowed as Ron entered inside of the Room of Requirement.

“Woah!” was his only reply. Hermione stood in the doorway, giggling behind him.

All of their friends, plus those on the quidditch team were all gathered inside of the ever-changing room. This time, the room was a bright orange color, with birthday streamers everywhere. There was one table filled with food that the house elves had baked for them, and another table piled with gifts, which is what the group of friends were all standing around.

“This is amazing!” Ron said, heading straight for the cake.

Harry rolled his eyes. “So much for presents,”

“Did you really expect anything less?” Dean joked. “It’s Ron!” Seamus laughed.

“I just came for the music,” Pansy said, but clearly she was enjoying herself as she raised her wand and music started playing out of a nearby stereo.

“Oh, I love this song!” Hannah beamed. “Ernie, come dance with me!”

“Yes! Dancing!” Pansy beamed. “Come on Granger, dance with me!”

Everyone was milling about, talking, dancing, and having fun. Soon enough, Ron opened up his presents, and then they all ate cake. Games followed soon after, and everyone was having a good time making fun of the birthday boy.

“You guys are amazing,” Ron said as they all sat around in a circle.

“Anything for you,” Harry said.

“We just wanted you to have a nice birthday,” Hermione replied.

“I just came for the cake,” Blaise teased.

Everyone laughed, and Ron rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I’m friends with a bunch of Slytherins,”

“Oh, you love us!” Milli said.

“It’s kind of hard not too,” Draco smirked.

“We’re pretty amazing,” Theo said.

“Humble, all of you,” Hermione laughed.

Harry shrugged. “They’ve got a point,”

“They are pretty likeable,” Ginny said, smiling.

“Thank you,” Daphne said, beaming.

Ron rolled his eyes. “Weren’t we supposed to be talking about me? I am the birthday boy!”

Laughter erupted, and conversations continued on as everyone sang happy birthday with a little bit of “Weasley is Our King” thrown into the mix. Everyone was surrounded by friends, and they couldn’t have been happier.

\---

April came and brought along with it stress and exhaustion. O.W.L.S were less than a month away and the pressure was on. No one was more stressed out than Hermione, which meant Ron and Harry were nearing their wits end as well.

“Hermione! You’ll be fine!” Harry was saying.

“You could do this in your sleep!” Ron said. “Literally! You mutter spell incantations in your sleep!”

Hermione rolled her eyes, jotting down more notes. “I just need to be sure…”

“What are you three up to on this beautiful day?” Pansy asked, strolling into the library.

“I thought for sure you two would be out playing quidditch,” Draco said, following behind her.

“We can’t possibly go outside!” Hermione began. “There’s so much to do!”

“She’s stressing over her O.W.L.S. again,” Ron said.

“I don’t think she’s gone to sleep yet… this week,” Harry said.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but decided to ignore them.

Draco and Pansy shared a look, before turning back to Hermione. “Granger, sweety,” Pansy began, walking around to stand behind Hermione. “I’m all for a good study session,but this isn’t healthy,”

“Agreed,” Draco said, leaning over and closing Hermione’s book.

“Hey!” she squealed, causing Madam Pince to glare as she shushed them. “I need that!”

“Not anymore, you don’t,” Pansy said, conficating her study materials. “What you need is fresh air and sunlight!”

Ron closed his book, smiling widely. “Agreed! Come Harry, let’s go get our brooms,”

“Oh thank Merlin!” Harry said, standing up as well. “What would we do without you to?”

“Turn into vampires, apparently,” Draco scoffed. Pansy giggled.

The four of them made their way out of the library and outside to enjoy the day. The boys had fun playing quidditch and the girls sat out in the sun gossiping and talking about the boys of course. It was fun being able to just relax and have a bit of fun before having to worry about everything else.

\---

O.W.L.S. were finally here, which meant everyone was stressed beyond belief. It was Wednesday, which meant they were halfway done, but the tension was still thick in the air.

“I can’t tell if I’ve just passed Divination, or failed it,” Ron was saying.

Harry snorted. “Knowing our professor, probably passed.”

“I just hope I did okay in Arithmancy,” Hermione said. “I went over everything maybe four times? But I just know that I missed something!”

“Probably her sanity,” Ron whispered, causing Harry to swat his shoulder.

“What’s left, anyways?” Harry asked.

“Potions, Transfiguration, and Astronomy,” Hermione said.

“Piece of cake!” Ron said. “You’ve got this,”

Hermione smiled. “Thanks. But I should go over my flashcards again…” 

\---

“Happy birthday Draco!” Harry said, as he kissed his boyfriend’s cheek.

The two currently sat outside under their tree by the lake, covered in Draco’s favorite flowers. Draco smiled, nuzzling his head in Harry’s shoulder. “Thanks,”

“You okay?” Harry asked, wrapping an arm around Draco’s shoulder.

“Hmm, just thinking.”

“About?”

Draco sighed as he stared out into the lake. “Harry… where do we go from here?”

Harry frowned. “What do you mean?”

“What happens after…?”

“After… what? School?”

“School, summer, Hogwarts. Any of it?”

Harry was silent, thinking for a moment. “What do you want to happen?”

“Lots of stuff.” Draco said, sitting up. “I want to win the war, finish school. I want to be a Healer and sell potions. I want to travel the world and see new things.” Draco smiled, wistfully. “I want to buy a house and adopt a pet. Maybe a crup, but I’ve always been more of a kneazle person. I want to…” Draco trailed off, turning to face Harry, smiling. “I want to be with you. I want to do _all_ those things with you. Travel and… I don’t know. I just want to be together, you know?”

Harry smiled, staring out into the lake as well. “When I was little, I always said I wanted a real family. One that cared about me and my opinions. What I wanted out of life, who I wanted to be as a person,” he said. “And then I found Hermione and Ron, as well as the rest of the Weasley’s. And then Lupin and Sirius of course. And now you,” Harry said, turning back to face the blond. “I would like nothing more than to spend the rest of my life exploring the world with you,”

Draco’s smile widened. “Then that’s what I want for my birthday,”

“And I promise I’ll make that wish come true,”

Draco leaned over, kissing Harry very lightly on the lips. “I know we can do it,” Draco said. “Maybe not everything, but… winning the war, finishing school…”

Harry cupped Draco’s face in his hands. “What happened to until the end?”

Draco blushed. “That too, but…”

“But?”

Draco sighed, turning away. “I don’t… want to hold you back or anything.” he said. “I’d hate for you to feel like you missed out on something because of me,”

Harry shook his head, taking his finger under Draco’s chin and moving his head again. “Never going to happen,” he said, giving him a kiss for emphasis. “I’ve never wanted anyone else as much as I want you,”

“But what if—”

“I love _you_. It’s always been you. There is no one else.”

Draco smiled, a light blush starting to form on his cheeks. “Harry, we’re only fifteen,”

“Sixteen,” Harry corrected with a bright smile. “And I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,”

Draco gave him a curious look. “How do you know?”

Harry’s smile turned into a knowing smirk. “Well, I can’t give all my secrets away!” he said with a chuckle. But then he leaned forward, kissing Draco’s forehead. “Maybe one day I’ll show you,”

“Show me what?”

Harry smiled at him, his green eyes gleaming. “What my heart desires,”

\---

“Did you see the look on Umbridge’s face?” Ron asked. “I’ll never forget it!”

“I can’t believe it took her _this_ long to figure it out!” Harry said. “I mean, really, it’s the end of the school year, what was the point?”

“It was a bit anti-climatic, wasn’t it?” Hermione said, laughing.

The trio was having a good time, but Draco and the rest of the Slytherins seemed to be the only ones out of the loop. “Will someone _please_ explain to me why that Ravenclaw girl had ‘sneak’ written across her face?” Draco interjected.

Harry and Ron just shared a look with one another, neither of them really knowing what to say. Only Hermione seemed to be rather calm about the whole ordeal. Harry raised an eyebrow.

“It may have had something to do with the signup list,” Hermione said, finally giving up as the stares had started to grow.

Draco’s eyes went wide. “You mean to tell me…”

“Well, you all made a promise when you signed that piece of parchment!” she protested. “I didn’t think anyone was actually going to tell!”

Draco turned around and glared at Harry. “I thought you said it wasn’t cursed!”

Harry’s eyes were wide. “How was I supposed to know!”

“Well, now you all know what happens when you turn your back on the group,” Hermione said with finality, leaving no room to argue.

“Yeah, but…” Ron began. “Is it ever going to come off?”

Hermione’s step faltered a bit, before she continued on. “Who's to say?”

“You mean she’s stuck like that?” Pansy laughed. “That’s...that’s a really Slytherin thing to do, Granger,”

Hermione blushed. “Yeah, well… like I said, nobody was supposed to tell,”

Umbridge had found the DA group celebrating the end of the school year in the Room of Requirement and had finally brought them down. Cho’s friend Marietta had given in and told on them, but considering how school was pretty much over, there wasn’t much Umbridge could do but to yell at them before Dumbledore hushed her up and sent her away.

“Oh, what was it Dumbleore wanted to talk to you about?” Ron asked.

Hermione was greatful for the change in subject, but Harry only frowned. “I’ll tell you guys on the train, yeah?”

…

“... So, there’s a prophecy?” Draco asked, sitting next to Harry on the train.

Harry nodded. “That’s why he wanted Sirius. He figured he might know where it was. Or rather which one,”

“Well… we have to find it, don’t we?” Hermione asked.

“Wait, what?” Ron said. “We do?”

“Well, we don’t want Voldemort getting his hands on it, right?” Hermione explained.

Harry shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. And besides, I already told you what it says and what it means. And Voldemort is already following it. Ever since he marked me as a baby, it’s been set in stone. He’s not going to stop until… until he kills me,”

“Which isn’t going to happen,” Draco said forcefully.

“We won’t let it,” Hermione added.

“Not in a million years,” Ron said.

Harry smiled around at his friends. “Guess I can’t do this alone, huh?”

“Are you mad?” Ron said. “As if we’d let you risk your life without us!”

“We’ve been by your side this long,” Hermione said with a faint smile. “No turning back now,”

“Until the end,” Draco said, grasping Harry’s hand.

Harry smiled, kissing Draco’s hand in his. “Until the end,”

…

“You know, this time last year me and Hermione had you unconscious and paralyzed outside of this compartment,” Harry chuckled.

Draco rolled his eyes. “Don’t remind me,”

Harry laughed, wrapping an arm around Draco. “But look at you know! Sitting with the cool kids,”

Draco scoffed. “As if,”

Harry continued to laugh, kissing Draco’s cheek. “All I’m saying is...we’ve come pretty far. I mean… 8 months together,”

Draco smiled. “Crazy, isn’t it?”

Harry nodded. “Definitely,” he said, standing up as the Hogwarts Express pulled to a stop. Everyone began gathering their belongings and stepping off of the train.

“Oh! I see my parents,” Hermione said, taking turns hugging everyone. “I’ll see you all in a few weeks!”

“Bye Mione!” Ron and Harry said, waving goodbye.

“I gotta go say by to Pansy and the others,” Draco said. “I’ll be right back,”

Harry nodded, watching him go.

“I wish you could come home with us today,” Ron said, looking sad. “It sucks waiting half the summer to come and get you,”

“I know, I wish I could come too,” Harry said with a sigh. He could see his Uncle Vernon from the corner of his eye, but he ignored him for now. “But, it won’t be too long. I’ll see you for my birthday,”

Ron smiled. “Of course,”

Harry smiled back and Draco made his way back over. “The Slytherins say bye,” he said. “You know how pureblood families are,”

Harry frowned, but Ron nodded. “It’s all about keeping up appearances,” he explained. “People like Malfoy’s or Parkinson’s family don’t really like to be seen out in public with people like us, or at least not my family, and certainly not Hermione's,”

“Which is why they’re all down there with my parents,” Draco said with a sigh.

Harry could hear Uncle Vernon beginning to clear his throat to grab his attention, but he continued to ignore him. “Will we see you this summer?” Harry asked.

“Well, you always see me in Diagon Alley,” Draco teased.

Ron rolled his eyes. “You have to come over to the Burrow for Harry’s birthday party,”

“Shh,” Harry said with a smile. “It’s a surprise,”

Ron laughed. “Right. Oh, and then you can join the Order too while you’re at it!”

“And then you can just floo over to grmmnn—Headquarters! Whenever you want,” Harry said.

Draco smiled. “I don’t know how I would possibly sneak away to do all of that, but we’ll see,” he said.

Ron nodded. “Well, I gotta go. I see my mum, and Ginny is starting to get impatient,”

“I’ll owl you,” Harry said, waving goodbye.

“Sounds good mate. By ferret!”

“Later weasel,”

Harry rolled his eyes, turning to face Draco. “You two are best friends, and you know it!”

Draco scoffed. “As if,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Seriously, you have to come see me,” Harry said. “Otherwise I’ll be stuck with _that_ for most the summer,” he said indicating to the purple man who was starting to get irritated with having to wait for Harry.

Draco scowled at the man. “No, we wouldn’t want that,”

Harry smiled. “So you promise to see me at the Weasley’s?”

“I’m sure I can figure something—”

Harry cut Draco off with a tight hug. “I’m going to miss you…”

Draco sighed, wrapping his arms around Harry. “You’ll be fine,”

“Not without my dragon, I won’t,”

Draco chuckled, kissing Harry’s forehead. “You can go a month without me,”

“That sounds like complete and utter torture!”

Draco was full on laughing now. “You’ll be okay. You’ve done it before,”

“We weren’t dating before,”

“Harry, I gotta go,” he said, chuckling as he pulled away.

Harry pouted. “No goodbye kiss?”

“In front of all these people?” Draco asked a bit skeptically. “Do you want our pictures all over the _Daily Prophet_?”

Harry scoffed. “I don’t care what anybody else thinks. I haven’t before and I’m not going to start now,”

Draco laughed, pulling Harry close. “And that, Potter, is why I love you,” and then they were kissing in the middle of King’s Cross. When they pulled away, people were staring, but they didn’t care. All that mattered was each other.

“I love you too,” Harry said, finally pulling out of Draco’s embrace and walking away.

Draco waved, before turning around to meet his parents.

“Come on boy!” Vernon grumbled as he turned to leave the station. “Got me sitting around a bunch of you-know-whos! And what are you doing? Kissing people in public, and boys no less! What will Petunia say? Delinquent I tell you, delinquent! Did we not raise you better, didn’t we teach you manners? Two boys kissing! Back in my day…”

But Harry didn’t care. He had a whole summer to look forward too, and he couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to mention something about how Lucius was one of the death eaters at the ministry and I was going to do something with Umbridge as well, but I'm just going to save it for the next story...
> 
> There's a new story!! It's called Darkest Before the Light, and it should already be posted :) go take a look! It takes place pretty much right where this ends.


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